*~*^Just
For
Today!^*~*
Powerlessness
Step Three: Made a decision
to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood
Him.
"Isn't it true that in all
matters touching upon alcohol, each of them has decided to turn his or her life
over to the care, protection, and guidance of Alcoholics Anonymous? Already a
willingness has been achieved to cast out one's own will and one's own ideas
about the alcohol problem in favor of those suggested by A.A. A willing newcomer
feels sure A.A. is the only safe harbor for the foundering vessel he has become.
Now if this is not turning one's will and life over to a newfound Providence,
then what is it?"
1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed
2005
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg.
35
*^Daily
Reflections^*
GOOD ORDERLY DIRECTION
It is when we try to make our will
conform with God's that we begin to use it rightly. To all of us, this was
a most wonderful revelation. Our whole trouble had been the misuse of
willpower. We had tried to bombard our problems with it instead of
attempting to bring it into agreement with God's intention for us. To make
this increasingly possible is the purpose of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, and Step Three
opens the door.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 40
All I have to do is look back at my past to see where
my self-will has led me. I just don't know what's best for me and I
believe my Higher Power does. G.O.D., which I define as "Good Orderly
Direction," has never let me down, but I have let myself down quite often.
Using my self-will in a situation usually has the same result as forcing the
wrong piece into a jigsaw puzzle - exhaustion and frustration.
Step
Three opens the door to the rest of the program. When I ask God for
guidance I know that whatever happens is the best possible situation, things are
exactly as they are supposed to be, even if they aren't what I want or
expect. God does do for me what I cannot do for myself, if I let
Him.
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES,
INC.
*~*^As
Bill
Sees
It^*~*
Truth, the Liberator
How truth makes us free is something
that we A.A.'s can well understand. It cut the shackles that once bound us to
alcohol. It continues to release us from conflicts and miseries beyond
reckoning; it banishes fear and isolation. The unity of our Fellowship, the love
we cherish for each other, the esteem in which the world holds us - all of these
are products of the truth which, under God, we have been privileged to
perceive.
<<< >>>
Just how and when we tell the
truth - or keep silent - can often reveal the difference between genuine
integrity and none at all. Step Nine emphatically cautions us against
misusing the truth when it states: "We made direct amends to such people
wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others." Because it
points up the fact that the truth can be used to injure as well as to heal, this
valuable principle certainly has a wide-ranging application to the problem of
developing integrity.
GRAPEVINE, AUGUST 1961
Copyright 1967
Alcoholics
Anonymous World Services, Inc.
*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*
"Resentment is the 'number one'
offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything
else."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition
How It Works, pg.
64
*^Twenty
Four
Hours A
Day^*
A.A. Thought for the Day
By having quiet times each
morning, we come to depend on God's help during the day, especially if we should
be tempted to take a drink. And we can honestly thank Him each night for the
strength He has given us. So our faith is strengthened by these quiet times of
prayer. By listening to other members, by working with other alcoholics, by
times of quiet meditation, our faith in God gradually becomes strong. Have I
turned my drinking problem entirely over to God, without reservations?
Meditation for the
Day
It seems as though, when God
wants to express to men what He is like, He makes a very beautiful character.
Think of a personality as God's expression of character attributes. Be as fit an
expression of Godlike character as you can. When the beauty of a person's
character is impressed upon us, it leaves an image which in turn reflects
through our own actions. So look for beauty of character in those around you.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that
I may look at great souls until their beauty of character becomes a part of my
soul. I pray that I may reflect this character in my own
life.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN
55012