Flimsy Reed
"We sought escape with all the desperation of drowning men.
What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and
powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, a
'design for living' that really works."
c.1976 AAWS
Alcoholics Anonymous, p.
28
Thought
to Consider . . .
The task ahead of us is never as great as the
Power behind us.
*~*AACRONYMS*~*
W I L L I N G
When
I Live
Life, I
Need God
*^Daily
Reflections^*
LEST WE BECOME COMPLACENT
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.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85
When I am
in pain it is easy to stay close to the friends I have found in the
program. Relief from that pain is provided in the solutions contained in
A.A.'s Twelve Steps. But when I am feeling good and things are going well,
I can become complacent. To put it simply, I become lazy and turn into the
problem instead of the solution. I need to get into action, to take stock:
where am I and where am I going? A daily inventory will tell me what I
must change to regain spiritual balance. Admitting what I find within
myself, to God and to another human being, keeps me honest and
humble.
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES,
INC.
*~*^As
Bill
Sees
It^*~*
Going It Alone
Going
it alone in spiritual matters is dangerous. How many times have we heard
well-intentioned people claim the guidance of God when it was plain that they
were mistaken? Lacking both practice and humility, they had deluded themselves
and so were able to justify the most arrant nonsense on the ground that this was
what God had told them. People of very high spiritual development almost
always insist on checking with friends or spiritual advisers the guidance they
feel they have received from God. Surely, then, a novice ought not lay himself
open to the chance of making foolish, perhaps tragic, blunders. While the
comment or advice of others may not be infallible, it is likely to be far more
specific than any direct guidance we may receive while we are still
inexperienced in establishing contact with a Power greater than ourselves.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 60
*~*^Big
Book
Quote^*~*
"I had
always believed in a Power greater that myself. I had often pondered these
things. I was not an atheist. Few people really are, for that means blind
faith in the strange proposition that this universe originated in a cipher
and aimlessly rushes no where."
Alcoholics Anonymous 4th Edition
Bill's Story, pg.
10
*^Twenty
Four
Hours A
Day^*
A.A. Thought for the Day
A.A. will lose some of its effectiveness if I do not do my share.
Where am I failing? Are there some things I do not feel like doing? Am I held
back by self-consciousness or fear? Self-consciousness is a form of pride. It is
a fear that something may happen to you. What happens to you is not very
important. The impression you make on others does not depend so much on the kind
of a job you do as on your sincerity and honesty of purpose. Am I holding back
because I am afraid of not making a good impression?
Meditation for the Day
Look to God for
the true power that will make you effective. See no other wholly dependable
supply of strength. That is the secret of a truly effective life. And you, in
your turn, will be used to help many others find effectiveness. Whatever
spiritual help you need, whatever spiritual help you desire for others, look to
God. Seek that God's will be done in your life and seek that your will conforms
to His. Failures come from depending too much on your own strength.
Prayer for the
Day
I pray that I may feel that nothing good is
too much for me if I look to God for help. I pray that I may be effective
through His guidance.