Thoughts For The Day~*~Honesty ^*^*^ March 16
Transitions Daily
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Honesty
"Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest."
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58
Thought to Consider . . .
Half measures availed us nothing.
*~*AACRONYMS*~*
HOW
Honest, Open-minded and Willing
*~*^Just For Today!^*~*
Greater Strength
From "Letting go of old ideas:"
AS WE UNDERSTAND HIM
My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea . . . "Why don't you choose your own conception of God?" That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last. It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 12
I remember the times I looked up into the sky and reflected on who started it all, and how. When I came to A.A., an understanding of some description of the spiritual dimension became a necessary adjunct to a stable sobriety. After reading a variety of versions, including the scientific, of a great explosion, I went for simplicity and made the God of my understanding the Great Power that made the explosion possible. With the vastness of the universe under His command, He would, no doubt, be able to guide my thinking and actions if I was prepared to accept His guidance. But I could not expect help if I turned my back on that help and went my own way. I became willing to believe and I have had 26 years of stable and satisfying sobriety.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*
Losing Financial Fears
When a job still looked like a mere
means of getting money rather than an opportunity for service, when the
acquisition of money for financial independence looked more important than a
right dependence upon God, we were the victims of unreasonable fears. And these
were fears which would make a serene and useful existence, at any financial
level, quite impossible. But as time passed we found that with the help of
A.A.'s Twelve Steps we could lose those fears, no matter what our material
prospects were. We could cheerfully perform humble labor without worrying about
tomorrow. If our circumstances happened to be good, we no longer dreaded a
change for the worse, for we had learned that these troubles could be turned
into great values, for ourselves and for others.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 121-122
Copyright 1967
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
*~*^Big
Book
Quote^*~*
"At a certain point in the drinking of every alcoholic, he
passes into a state where the most powerful desire to stop drinking is
of absolutely no avail. This tragic situation has already arrived
in practically every case long before it is suspected."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, There Is A Solution, pg.
24~
*^Twenty
Four
Hours A
Day^*
A.A. Thought for the Day
Before we decide to quit
drinking, most of us have to come up against a blank wall. We see that we're
licked, that we have to quit. But we don't know which way to turn for help.
There seems to be no door in that blank wall. A.A. opens the door that leads to
sobriety. By encouraging us to honestly admit that we're alcoholics and to
realize that we can't take even one drink, and by showing us which way to turn
for help, A.A. opens the door in that blank wall. Have I gone through that door
to sobriety?
Meditation for the Day
I must have a
singleness of purpose to do my part in God's work. I must not let material
distractions interfere with my job of improving personal relationships. It is
easy to become distracted by material affairs, so that I lose my singleness of
purpose. I do not have time to be concerned about the multifarious concerns of
the world. I must concentrate and specialize on what I can do
best.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I
may not become distracted by material affairs. I pray that I may concentrate on
doing what I can do best.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN
55012
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