Thoughts For The Day~*~ Daily Reprieve^*^*^*^*^ May 22, 2012
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Daily Reprieve
"It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action
and rest on our laurels.
We are headed for trouble if we do,
for alcohol is a subtle foe.
We are not cured of alcoholism.
What we really have is a daily reprieve
contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 85
Thought to Consider . . .
The road to recovery is always under construction.
ACTION
Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
"At some time, perhaps in a more moderate way, nearly everyone has experienced this spirit touch of God the fleeting feeling of insight, love, joy, and 'The world is right.' Once, I thought that only unusual circumstances made these moments possible. Actually, I now think, they are forecasts of what one can have if one is willing to take the time and make the effort. Peace, love, and joy can be sought through quiet thinking and honest prayer. The wholeness, the new awareness, that is produced affects one's relationship with God and man to a degree greater than would seem possible in ordinary life."
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 65
STEP ONE
WE . . . (The first word of the First Step)
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21
When I was drinking all I could ever think about was "I, I, I," or "Me, Me, Me." Such painful obsession of self, such soul sickness, such spiritual selfishness bound me to the bottle for more than half my life.
The journey to find God and to do His will one day at a time began with the first word of the First Step . . . "We." There was power in numbers, there was strength in numbers, there was safety in numbers, and for an alcoholic like me, there was life in numbers. If I had tried to recover alone I probably would have died. With God and another alcoholic I have a divine purpose in my life . . . I have become a channel for God's healing love.
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
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God-Given Instincts
Creation gave us instincts for a purpose. Without them we wouldn't be complete human beings. If men and women didn't exert themselves to be secure in their persons, made no effort to harvest food or construct shelter, there would be no survival. If they didn't reproduce, the earth wouldn't be populated. If there were no social instinct, there would be no society.
Yet these instincts, so necessary for our existence, often far exceed their proper functions. Powerfully, blindly, many times subtly, they drive us, dominate us, and insist upon ruling our lives.
<<<>>>
We tried to shape a sane ideal for our future sex life. We subjected each relation to this test: Was it selfish or not? We asked God to mold our ideals and help us to live up to them. We remembered always that our sex powers were God-given and therefore good, neither to be used lightly or selfishly nor to be despised and loathed.
1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 42
2. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 69
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"It did not
satisfy us to be told that we could not control our
drinking just because we
were maladjusted to life, that we were in
full flight from reality, or were
outright mental defectives. These
things were true to some extent, in fact,
to a considerable extent
with some of us. But we are sure that our bodies
were sickened as
well. In our belief, any picture of the alcoholic which
leaves out
this physical factor is incomplete."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Doctor's Opinion, pg.
xxvi~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the
Day
What impresses
us most at an A.A. meeting is the willingness to share, without holding anything
back. And pretty soon we find ourselves sharing also. We start telling our own
experiences and by so doing we help the other person.= And when we've got these
things off our chest, we feel a lot better. It does us a lot of good to share
with some other poor unfortunate person who's in the same box that we were in.
And the more we share, the more we have left for ourselves. Do I know that the
more I share, the better chance I'll have to stay sober?
Meditation
for the Day
Constantly claim God's strength. Once convinced
of the right of a course of action, once reasonably sure of God's guidance,
claim that strength now. You can claim all the strength you need to meet any
situation. You can claim a new supply when your own supply is exhausted. You
have a right to claim it and you should use your right. A beggar supplicates, a
child appropriates. When you supplicate, you are often kept waiting, but when
you appropriate God's strength in a good cause, you have it at once.
Prayer for
the Day
I
pray that I may claim God's strength whenever I need it. I pray that I may try
to live as a child of God.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN
55012