Daily Reflections
January 3
POWERLESS
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21
It is no coincidence that the very first Step mentions powerlessness: An admission of personal powerlessness over alcohol is a cornerstone of the foundation of recovery. I’ve learned that I do not have the power and control I once thought I had. I am powerless over what people think about me. I am powerless over having just missed the bus. I am powerless over how other people work (or don’t work) the Steps. But I’ve also learned I am not powerless over some things. I am not powerless over my attitudes. I am not powerless over negativity. I am not powerless over assuming responsibility for my own recovery. I have the power to exert a positive influence on myself, my loved ones, and the world in which I live.
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
January 3
Thought for the Day
When I came into A.A., I learned what an alcoholic was and then I applied this knowledge to myself to see if I was an alcoholic. When I was convinced that I was an alcoholic, I admitted it openly. Since then, have I been learning to live accordingly? Have I read the book Alcoholics Anonymous? Have I applied the knowledge gained to myself? Have I admitted openly that I am an alcoholic? Am I ready to admit it at any time when I can be of help?
Meditation for the Day
I will be renewed. I will be remade. In this, I need God’s help. His spirit shall flow through me and, in flowing through me, it shall sweep away all the bitter past. I will take heart. The way will open for me. Each day will unfold something good, as long as I am trying to live the way I believe God wants me to live.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may be taught, just as a child would be taught. I pray that I may never question God’s plans, but accept them gladly.
Walk In Dry Places
January 3
Forgiving others
Releasing the past
There is a general reluctance on the part of most people to forgive old injuries. Some of us wasted lots of time brooding about old wrongs done to us or trying to get even for some past injuries.
But the only way we can ever really get even is to forgive others completely and without the slightest hidden reservation. If we haven’t forgiven others, the old resentments are a poison in our own lives. We continue to feel the pain of the original injury, and the ensuing resentment destroys our peace of mind and endangers our relationships.
In forgiving others, we do not grant a favor to them, but to ourselves. By extending forgiveness, we release thoughts and feelings that have been like a cancer in our lives. We are not giving up a possession or a right; instead, we are freeing ourselves from a burden that nobody needs to carry. We are letting go of garbage that we do not need in our lives. When we forgive others, we also realize that we are forgiven. As it is stated in closing meetings, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
I will not review past hurts and injuries this day. I will go through the day knowing that God forgives me to the extent that I forgive.
Keep It Simple
January 3
Never play leapfrog with a unicorn.
–Unknown
As we work Step One, we accept that alcohol and other drugs are poison to us. We accept our limits.
This means we know that hanging around our using “buddies” can remind us of “the good old days.”
Hanging around “slippery places” means we could “slip” back into our old ways. This isn’t testing our sobriety; it’s being reckless with it. So let’s accept our limits. Everybody has limits. When we know our limits, we protect our recovery against the people and places that pull us from our spiritual center. This is what true acceptance means.
Prayer for the Day: I pray for true acceptance. Higher Power, help me to stay away from slippery places. I will protect the gift You’ve given me.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll list the people and places that are risky for me to be around. I will share this list with my sponsor, my group, and my sober friends.
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.
–Buddha (B.C. 568-488)“The more you invest in a marriage, the more valuable it becomes.”
–Amy GrantEnvy shoots at others and wounds herself.
–Costa Rican ProverbIf you dig a grave for others, you might fall into it yourself.
–Irish ProverbI embrace the beauty of life, and depend deeply upon God.
–Shelley
Father Leo’s Daily Meditation
January 3
ISOLATION
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
— John Donne
For years I thought that I was alone; lost isolated and afraid. Today I understand this to be a symptom of my alcoholism, an aspect of my disease. Alcoholism is “cunning, baffling and powerful”; it is a mystery that we have only begun to understand. One thing we know, the disease, the “ism” of alcoholism, involves more than the act of drinking. Feelings of inadequacy, isolation and fear keep us from recovering until we discover the spiritual strength to confront the disease in our lives. The initial risk of “letting go” and trusting others is an essential part of the recovery process.
When we discover that we are not alone, then relationships and hope are reactivated; life is worth living again.
O Lord, I believe I am part of this world and an important part of You.
Daily Inspiration
January 3
It is good to know where you are, but better to know where you are going. Lord, may I use every day to grow closer to You.
When you feel you aren’t as blessed as your neighbor, consider the troubles that you have been spared. Lord, thank You for the trials that I do not have to endure.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day
January 3
“We don’t have to say or think what we don’t wish to. We have a choice in those things, and we have to realize that and practice using that choice.”
–Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE
Having choices makes us fully accountable. No one can make us think anything we don’t want to think. No one can determine our behavior and how we act. It’s not what’s going on but how we look at what’s going on. If someone does something and we get upset, we can change how we look at it any time we want. We can tell ourselves in the morning that the day is going to be beautiful and that we have expectations that great things will happen. Doing this daily sets our mind to look for the joy and the excitement of each day.
Great Spirit, help me to choose my thoughts with Your wisdom.
Daily TAO
January 3
DEVOTION
Make the crooked straight,
Make the straight to flow.
Gather water, fire, and light.
Bring the world to a single point.
If we have devotion — total faith and commitment to our spiritual path — our determination will naturally build momentum. Fewer and fewer obstructions will come before us. Our path becomes like a crooked one made straight. No matter what tries to keep us from our purpose, we will not be deterred.
Proper devotion lies not simply in a headlong course. It also requires fortitude. Our bodies, our hearts, and our spirits must be totally concentrated upon what we want. Only by uniting all our inner elements can we have full devotion.