Thoughts For The Day~*~Defiance ^*^*^ May 21
Transitions Daily
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Defiance
"'As psychiatrists have often observed, defiance is the outstanding characteristic of many an alcoholic. When we encountered AA, the fallacy of our defiance was revealed. At no time had we asked what God's will was for us; instead we had been telling Him what it ought to be. No man, we saw, could believe in God and defy Him, too. Belief meant reliance, not defiance. In AA we saw the fruits of this belief: men and women spared from alcohol's final catastrophe.'"
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 31
Thought to Consider . . .
While it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.
*~*AACRONYMS*~*
SIT
Stay In Today
*~*^Just For Today!^*~*
"My sponsor was a living damper on my intolerance. But even more, he told me that it would be all right for me to doubt God, that A.A. was not a religious program and, to belong, I did not have to adhere to any set of beliefs. "He suggested that for me a good starting point would simply be recognition of the fact that I had failed in running the world in short, acceptance of the fact that I was not God. He also suggested that I might try occasionally to act as if I believed. Somewhere I had heard that it is easier to act yourself into a new way of thinking than to think yourself into a new way of acting, and this made sense in the context of 'acting as if.'"
2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 366
A LIST OF BLESSINGS
One exercise that I practice is to try for a full inventory of my blessings. . . .
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 37
What did I have to be grateful for? I shut myself up and started listing the blessings for which I was in no way responsible, beginning with having been born of sound mind and body. I went through seventy-four years of living right up to the present moment. The list ran to two pages, and took two hours to compile; I included health, family, money, A.A.-- the whole gamut.
Every day in my prayers, I ask God to help me remember my list, and to be grateful for it throughout the day. When I remember my gratitude list, it's very hard to conclude that God is picking on me.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*
"Restore Us to Sanity"
Few indeed are the practicing alcoholics who have any idea how irrational they are, or, seeing their irrationality, can bear to face it. For example, some will be willing to term themselves "problem drinkers," but cannot endure the suggestion that they are in fact mentally ill. They are abetted in this blindness by a world which does not understand the difference between sane drinking and alcoholism. "Sanity" is defined as "soundness of mind." Yet no alcoholic, soberly analyzing his destructive behavior, whether the destruction fell on the dining-room furniture or his own moral fiber, can claim "soundness of mind" for himself.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 32-33
*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*
"Although financial recovery is on the way for many of us, we found we could not place money first. For us, material well-being always followed spiritual progress; it never preceded."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 127~
*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*
A.A. Thought for the Day
One of the finest things about A.A. is the sharing. Sharing is a wonderful thing because the more you share the more you have in our old drinking days, we didn't do much sharing. We used to keep things to ourselves, partly because we were ashamed, but mostly because we were selfish. And we were very lonely because we didn't share. When we came into A.A., the first thing we found was sharing. We heard other alcoholics frankly sharing their experiences with hospitals, jails, and all the usual mess that goes with drinking. Am I sharing.?
Meditation for the Day
Character is developed by the daily discipline of duties done. Be obedient to the heavenly vision and take the straight way. Do not fall into the error of calling "Lord, Lord," and doing not the things that should be done. You need a life of prayer and meditation, but you must still do your work in the busy ways of life. The busy person is wise to rest and wait patiently for God's guidance. If you are obedient to the heavenly vision, you can be at peace.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be obedient to the heavenly vision. I pray if I fall, I will pick myself up and go on.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012
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