When we came into A.A., we made a tremendous discovery. We found that we were sick persons rather than moral lepers. We were not such odd ducks as we thought we were. We found other people who had the same illness that we had, who had been through the same experiences that we had been through. They had recovered. If they could do it, we could do it. Was hope born in me the day I walked into A.A.?
Meditation for the Day ~
"He that heareth these sayings and doeth them is like unto a man who built his house upon a rock and the rain descended and the floods came and the wind blew and beat upon that house and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock." When your life is built upon obedience to God and upon doing His will as you understand it, you will be steadfast and unmovable even in the midst of storms. The serene, steadfast, unmovable life-the rock home-is laid stone by stone-foundation, walls, and roof-by acts of obedience to the heavenly vision. The daily following of God's guidance and the daily doing of His will shall build your house upon a rock.
Prayer for the Day ~
I pray that my life may be founded upon the rock of faith. I pray that I may be obedient to the heavenly vision.
11th June 2007
A.A. Thought for the Day ~
We alcoholics have to believe in some Power greater than ourselves. Yes, we have to believe in God. Not to believe in a Higher Power drives us to atheism. Atheism, it has been said before, is blind faith in the strange proposition that this universe originated in a cipher and aimlessly rushes nowhere. That's practically impossible to believe. So we turn to the Divine Principle in the universe that we call God. Have I stopped trying to run my own life?
Meditation for the Day ~
"Lord, we thank Thee for the great gift of peace, that peace which passeth all understanding, that peace which the world can neither give nor take away." That is the peace that only God can give in the midst of a restless world and surrounded by trouble and difficulty. To know that peace is to have received the stamp of the kingdom of God. When you have earned that peace, you are fit to judge between true and false values, between the values of the kingdom of God and the values of all that the world has to offer.
Prayer for the Day ~
I pray that today I may have inner peace. I pray that today I may be at peace with myself.
Hazelden
(Let it be a God or Higher Power of your own understanding)
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Progress not perfection.. & Practice makes Progress!
Your post was great timing for me as I was reflecting on a newcomer at my home group last night. I felt so truly sorry for her and I could see so much of the 'old' me in her. I am hoping, so very much, that hope was born in her last night.
Take care,
Carol
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
I believe that peace is always available to us, even during utter chaos happening in our lives.
Sometimes, to find that peace, I have to remove myself physically from the chaos, even if it just means going for a walk, and calming my thinking enough to reach into my soul to find it. Knowing that no matter what is going on, keeping the faith that there really is a purpose for what's happening, whether that purpose is for me or for someone else in the mix. Once I can recognize that I'm limited to what actions I can take and the rest is left for my Higher Power to handle, I find peace and calming in that. Sometimes that peace enters me just in listening to the breezes up in the trees, or the stream burbling, or a bird singing. And sometimes peace comes in just the silence. That's what I love about taking the time for meditation. For those few moments, I'm within and a part of that "peace", and in touching my center, calming my fears, I'm accessing the peace that Source makes available to all of us. The "still small voice within". Thx, Danielle, for reminding me how well my HP takes care of me, giving me all these tools to experience. hug, Chris
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"Never argue with an idiot... They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience..."
It's really funny & humbling how much I have had to let go of my old beliefs since coming into A.A. Even some of the good ones it seems. My ego has been taking a battering & I have had to kill gradually all roots of self~will slowly. It's like a cancer & how we treat that. We take ourselves within an inch of our life to kill the disease & then hope against hope that the healthy cells will grow back & thrive. That's how it seems for me. As a child & teenager I was full of hopes & dreams for the world & its interactions between people. I always thought that with honesty, integrity & cooperation towards an equal outcome, even with different roles or positions, all this stuff would work out. I didn't have the confidence to implement these beliefs because I lacked self~worth & self~belief & my heart was dying in drink. So I came to A.A. Initially out of curiosity, to stay sober & see what ideals where going on. I was looking for a guide & inspiration. I was looking for something I could identify with so that I could throw myself in & take things forward in keeping with my ideals & learning more. Imagine my horror when I got told I was sick & that my ego was the enemy! I was like "OMG I didn't realise my ego had played such a big part despite my intentions & that I was going to find out all about it in my Step4!!!!! Shocks of horrors I can tell you! I wasn't expecting anything like that so humbling myself has been a fight & a shame & embarrassing =S I don't want to be like this. I only wanted to focus on the positives & get things done but with this deep~rooted ISM it always would have undermined me anyway. I came into A.A. & lost sight of my earliest ideals, 'my own personal God & understanding' which was basically my values (besides my wants & needs ;) & I've really struggled with learning to love myself in the face of letting go of ego. Which is Ego & which is positive intention?? I ask myself regularly. I want to know if I can be clever & full of love & great ideas whilst still being humble, grateful & willing to share. I don't want to take credit for every wonderful & beautiful thought that pops into my head but surely I must have a right to think, feel & carry them out as a true essence of myself as long as I know they're gifts from whatever God is out there? My fear is that I don't want any of my ideas to be ignorant or self~seeking. Is wanting to be loved self~seeking? Is becoming lovable self~seeking? In my Higher Self I've always had a great heart & I really want to develop the confidence to use it. I hope this isn't ego & this is the reason why I lay down my life to A.A. & its principles so that eventually I'll be well enough & learn the skills to discern my motives so that I can be gentle, wise, kind & detached so that I can give & receive love. I want to earn my stripes so that I can be lovable then I hope to be in a postion to give of genuine love without any self~seeking. Anyway, really, what is self~seeking?? Is this wanting to help others be happy so that I can be happy too or is that a form of altruism? Is altruism even possible with all this talk of ego!? On some level I feel like altruism is a contradiction in terms yet I genuinely hope not. At this moment in time & for a long time I've always believed that if I can help others or at least offer my own experience, strength, hope, & happiness this would be enough & enough of a two~way street to be genuine without trying to control anyone or is this some sneaky route of aquiring acceptance from others? Surely becoming more accepting of others & myself & becoming more acceptable to others is a purpose of this program? I don't want to people~please yet I do feel capable of pleasing a few here & there even if it's only myself knowing I tried whilst God does the rest. This is from the core of me & my worst nightmare would be for this to be very sick! If this is the best of me & very wrong, well then I don't know what I've got in store! I don't want to be just God's little creature. I want to be Ace & Good & Great & Fab & Kind! I hope this is compatible along with the days when I'm not feeling so & need a touch with the humility to ask for help when I need it (Which is of course always on some level) Even just listening to someone is helpful no matter where they're at. Thanks for listening to me now. I feel young & impetuous but you know what? It's where my passion & inspiration lies. I love to feel alert, alive, on the ball, receptive, caring & enthusiastic. Tis my better nature & I want this to shine through even when I'm struggling. I hope this isn't self~will run riot! I really will laugh if it is & carry on regardless lol Until I learn better ;) If I am still all messed up & lots to come to learn then thanks for being patient with me in the meantime while I figure it all out. Maybe one day I won't even need to as I'll have simple acceptance ;D I don't know. I'm glad I don't know. Tis all part of the fun of endeavering to find out. I always did want to know the "Exact Meaning of Life!" Thanks for sharing in my journey & listening to my chatterings. Love in recovery, Danielle lolx
-- Edited by Sobrietyspell at 19:26, 2007-06-12
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Progress not perfection.. & Practice makes Progress!
Hi Danielle, "Not to believe drives us to atheism......Is blind faith in the proposition..."
Having grown up Catholic (altar boy), been "born again", dabbled in Buddhism and others belief systems, I take this , probably unrightly, as kind of an attack on my atheist belief by the original writer, not you (I'm also not the only atheist on this site). I could very well articulate on the belief in a diety who "...always was, always will be, and always remains the same...", which is a far more blind faith in my opinion.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not offended. Let's just be a bit more careful about what is posted here that may make it more difficult for any of us to remain sober while relying on their belief system be it Christian, Muslim, Hebrew, Hindu, mine (et al) or any other. Please. With love in recovery...Tim
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"We posess the eyes through which the universe gazes with wonder upon its own majesty."
Hi Tim, I really appreciate your post & I guess I put this post up there on a little bit of blind faith. I can't completely subscribe to every word that's written. I can't because I haven't written them & then our views can change, deepen & mature anyway. I post these exerpts on a faith that we can take what we need or like & leave the rest. Faith of any description is very much a metaphor for me & as for the God Concept.. Well yes, that especially! It's what it represents to us that is the main thing & this is what neither makes us right or wrong. We either understand each other or we don't or we can grasp little notions & have tolerance & open~mindedness for the rest. I have every respect for atheists or anyone who stays sober. It's an amazing thing & I'd love to know what your processes are. I'm still only coming to my own understanding too & I love to know whatever it is that keeps anybody sober. Tis all good stuff & I believe in your sobriety. I'm sure you're spiritual with or without a God in your life & I know you enjoy your life & all there is to have. Thanks for your gentle & humble words. I can't censor what each day's postings are as I don't have the wisdom to guess what would suit everyone. I have faith that overall the message is ok & it does help me to stay sober with a little bit of service though it doesn't beat a nice cuppa! I hope you can accept my positive intentions & I don't want to rock your sobriety in any way. I know you're rising to your challenges each day & I hope you continue to do so. If I post anything that disturbs you let us know so that we can share & smooth it over. There's no need for you to lose your sobriety for anything. We can be unified in this too. Love in recovery, Danielle x
Ps. Phil has just been in touch & suggested that posting the 24hr stuff may not be appropriate given that it's not A.A. approved & I'm not trying to push the whole God thing anyway so I'll try & think of something else if I don't get any suggestions. I don't want to disappoint anyone who likes these readings but then we can get our own books, hey! Also, might have a little more time to reply now ;) Dx
-- Edited by Sobrietyspell at 19:33, 2007-06-13
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Progress not perfection.. & Practice makes Progress!
