Instincts
"The
idea keeps persisting that the instincts are primarily bad and are the
roadblocks before which all spirituality falters. I believe that the
difference between good and evil is not the difference between
spiritual and instinctual man; it is the difference between proper and
improper use of the instinctual. Recognition and right channeling of
the instinctual are the essence of achieving wholeness."
Bill W., Letter, 1954
1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 287
Thought to Consider . . .
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.
*~*AACRONYMS*~*
G R A C E
Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations
*~*^Just For Today!^*~*
Model
From "The Man Who Mastered Fear":
2001 AAWS Inc. Fourth Edition
Alcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 251-52
*^Daily Reflections^*
LETTING GO OF OUR OLD SELVES
Carefully
reading the first five proposals we ask if we have omitted anything,
for we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at
last . . . Are we now ready to let God remove from us all the things
which we have admitted are objectionable?
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS pp. 75, 76
The
Sixth Step is the last "preparation" Step. Although I have already
used prayer extensively, I have made no formal request of my Higher
Power in the first Six Steps. I have identified my problem, come to
believe that there is a solution, made a decision to seek this solution,
and have "cleaned house." I now ask: Am I willing to live a life of
sobriety, of change, to let go of my old self? I must determine if I
am truly ready to change. I review what I have done and become willing
for God to remove all my defects of character; for in the next Step, I
will tell my Creator I am willing and will ask for help. If I have
been thorough in the preparation of my foundation and feel that I am
willing to change, I am then ready to continue with the next Step. "If
we still cling to something we will not let go, we ask God to help us
be willing." (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 76)
Copyright 1990
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*
Built by the One and the Many
"We
give thanks to our Heavenly Father, who through so many friends and
through many means and channels, has allowed us to construct this
wonderful edifice of the spirit in which we are now dwelling - this
cathedral whose foundations already rest upon the corners of the earth.
On its great floor we have inscribed our Twelve Steps of recovery. On
the side walls, the buttresses of A.A. Traditions have been set in place
to contain us in unity for as long as God may will it so. Eager hearts
and hands have lifted the spire of our cathedral into its place. That
spire bears the name of service. May it ever point straight upward
toward God."
<<< >>>
"It is not only to the few
that we owe the remarkable developments in our unity and in our ability
to carry A.A.'s message everywhere. It is to the many; indeed, it is to
the labors of all of us that owe these prime blessings."
1. A.A. COMES OF AGE, P. 234
2. TALK, 1959
*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*
"Let
no alcoholic say he cannot recover unless he has his family back. This
just isn't so. In some cases the wife will never come back for one
reason or another. Remind the prospect that his recovery is not
dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his relationship with God.
We have seen men get well whose families have not returned at all. We
have seen others slip when the family came back too soon."
Alcoholics Anonymous 4th Edition
Working With Others, pg. 99
*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*
A.A. Thought for the Day
Some
things I like since becoming dry: feeling good in the morning; full use
of my intelligence; joy in my work; the love and trust of my children;
lack of remorse; the confidence of my friends; the prospect of a happy
future; the appreciation of the beauties of nature; knowing what it is
all about. I'm sure that I like these things, am I not?
Meditation for the Day
Molding
your life means cutting and shaping your material into something good,
something that can express the spiritual. All material things are the
clay out of which we mold something spiritual. You must first recognize
the selfishness in your desires and motives, actions and words, and then
mold that selfishness until it is sublimated into a spiritual weapon
for good. As the work of molding proceeds, you see more and more clearly
what must be done to mold your life into something better.
Prayer for the Day
I
pray that I may mold my life into something useful and good. I pray
that I may not be discouraged by the slow progress that I make.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012