~*~A.A.
Thoughts
For
The Day~*~
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Prayer
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"All of us, without exception, pass through times when we
can pray only with the greatest exertion of will. Occasionally we go
even further than this. We are seized with a rebellion so sickening that
we simply won't pray. When these things happen we should not think too
ill of ourselves. We should simply resume prayer as soon as we can,
doing what we know to be good for us."
1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,
p. 105
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Thought
to Consider . . .
Trying
to pray is praying.
*~*AACRONYMS*~*
"That sense of being
different, which had long plagued me, disappeared when I saw the threads that
run through all of us. Sharing our stories, our feelings, it is the areas where
we are the same that impress me. The differences are but delightful flourishes
on the surface, like different-colored costumes, and I enjoy them. But the basic
ways we are human, the basic ways we simply are, stand out to me now. I came to
see that we all are really one, and I no longer feel alone."
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth
Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous,
pg. 347
*~*^As
Bill
Sees
It^*~*
A Viewer-with-Alarm
"I went through several
fruitless years in a state called viewing with alarm for the good of the
movement. I thought it was up to me to be always correcting conditions.
Seldom has anybody been able to tell me what I ought to do, and nobody had
ever succeeded in effectively telling me what I must do. I had to learn the
hard way out of my own experience. "When setting out to check others, I
found myself often motivated by fear of what they were doing,
self-righteousness, and even downright intolerance. Consequently, I seldom
succeeded in correcting anything. I just raised barriers of resentment that
cut off any suggestion, example, understanding, or love."
<<<>>>
"A.A.s often say, Our leaders do not drive by
mandate; they lead by example. If we would favorably affect others, we
ourselves need to practice what we preach and forget the preaching, too. The
quiet good example speaks for itself."
1. LETTER, 1945 - 2. LETTER, 1966
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Big
Book
Quote
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"We never apologize to anyone for
depending upon our Creator. We can laugh at those who think spirituality the
way of weakness. Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. The verdict of the
ages is that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They
trust their God. We never apologize for God. Instead we let
Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do. We ask Him to remove our fear
and direct our attention to what He would have us be. At once, we commence to
outgrow fear."
~Alcoholics
Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg.
68~
*~*^Twenty
Four
HourS A
Day^*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
In the association with members
of the A.A. group to which we belong, we have the advantage of sincere
friendship and understanding of the other members who, through social and
personal contact, take us away from our old haunts and environments and help to
remove in large measure the occasions of alcoholic suggestion. We find in this
association a sympathy and a willingness on the part of most members to do
everything in their power to help us. Do I appreciate the wonderful fellowship
of A.A.?
Meditation for the
Day
"Except ye become as little children, ye
cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." In this saying it is urged that all
who seek heaven on earth or in the hereafter' should become like little
children. In seeking things of the spirit and in our faith, we should try to
become childlike. Even as we grow older, the years of seeking can give us the
attitude of the trusting child. Not only for its simple trust should we have the
childlike spirit, but also for its joy in life, its ready laughter, its lack of
criticism, and its desire to share. In Charles Dickens's story, A Christmas
Carol, even old Scrooge changed when he got the child-spirit.
Prayer for the
Day
I pray that I may become like a child in faith and hope. I
pray that I may, like a child, be friendly and trusting.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012