Daily Reflections
April 21
CULTIVATING FAITH
“I don’t think we can do anything very well in this world
unless we practice it. And I don’t believe we do A.A. too well unless we
practice it. We should practice acquiring the spirit of service. We should
attempt to acquire some faith, which isn’t easily done, especially for the
person who has always been very materialistic, following the standards of
society today. But I think faith can be acquired; it can be acquired slowly; it
has to be cultivated. That was not easy for me, and I assume that it is
difficult for everyone else.”
–DR. BOB AND THE GOOD OLDTIMERS, pp. 307-08
Fear is often the force that prevents me from acquiring and cultivating the power of faith. Fear blocks my appreciation of beauty, tolerance, forgiveness, service, and serenity.
Twenty-Four Hours A
Day
April 21
A.A. Thought for the Day
After we’ve been in A.A. for a while, we find out that if we’re going to stay sober, we have to be humble people. The men and women in A.A. who have achieved sobriety are all humble people. When I stop to think that but for the grace of God I might be drunk right now, I can’t help feeling humble. Gratitude to God for His grace makes me humble. When I think of the kind of person I was not so long ago, when I think of the person I left behind me, I have nothing to be proud of.Am I grateful and humble?
Meditation for the Day
I must arise from the death of sin and selfishness and put on a new life of integrity. All the old sins and temptations must be laid in the grave and a new existence rise from the ashes. Yesterday is gone. All my sins are forgiven if I am honestly trying to do God’s will today. Today is here, the time of resurrection and renewal. I must start now, today, to build a new life of complete faith and trust in God and a determination to do His will in all things.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may share in making the world a better place to live in. I pray that I may do what I can to bring goodness a little nearer to the earth.
Walk in Dry Places
April 21
The Good that I do
Action
Why do we hold back when we’re offered the opportunity to help others or to do something unusually kind? Why is it that many people are reluctant to give of themselves unless rewarded with recognition or praise?
We may hold back because we do not understand that any good action always brings its own reward. Despite Shakespeare’s timeless saying, the good we do is not “interred with our bones” … it does survive, now and in the future.
We’ve learned in Twelve Step programs that it’s not really satisfying to work only for recognition and praise. There also has to be a confident feeling that our efforts are contributing to a large good with a worthwhile purpose. That’s what makes AA so special to people who are completely devoted to it … we know that anything done for AA makes the world a better place.
We should also know that those who can help others are fortunate, well-favored people. Others may want to help, but lack the tools. We have the tools to give the help that changes lives- and the world.
The good that I do today is a treasure I’ll always possess. I need not fear the act of letting my higher self take over and guide me.
Keep It Simple
April 21
One of the most important parts of the AA program is to give our drinking problem to God honestly and fully …
–Twenty-Four Hour a Day, March 1
We don’t handle our drinking or other drug problem. We don’t take care of this problem by ourselves. We turn our problem over to God as we understand Him. We need to be very clear about this. We can’t handle our drinking or other drug problem! Our Higher Power keeps us sober through the Steps and the fellowship of the program.
Our job is to hand over our problem to our Higher Power. We do this daily by acting like sober people.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, I know I can’t handle drinking and using other drugs. I turn my problem over to you. Please take from me the urge to drink or use.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll remember why I can’t handle or take care of my problem with alcohol or other drugs. And I’ll remember why my Higher Power can.
“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
–John Wooden
“Simmering resentment saps energy.”
–Nido Qubein
“Pain is an experience. Suffering is a choice.”
–Jeff Alexander
Open to a larger, more abundant source. That source is God. And God’s supply is the universe. When we look to God and the universe, we open ourselves to a never-ending supply of what we need–love, energy, teaching, support, information, guidance, and nurturing. Certain people and places may help us along the way, but God is our source for love.
–Melody Beattie
Father Leo’s Daily
Meditation
April 21
VALUES
“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”
–Charles Darwin
Life is not to be wasted. Time is not to be wasted. Friends, relationships, opportunities are not to be wasted. Why? Because as vulnerable human beings we do not have the ultimate control of our lives and none of us know when our lives will end, when we shall die, when time and opportunity will be no more! Life is too precious to waste.
During my years as an addict I did not value my life. I did not value time. I did not value friends and relationships. Nothing was valued except the alcohol! Life was meaningless. God was absent and I felt nothing – just a “dullness” at the center of my being. Today this is not the case. Through my pain I have found the value of life and I have discovered a God as I understand Him.
God, let me value what I have while I have it.
Daily Inspiration
April 21
Don’t allow the difficult people around you to get you down. Lord, may I not make other people’s problems my own and take on things that I can’t do anything about anyway.
There is light behind every shadow. Lord, You are the light of the world. May I never forget to turn to You when my life fills with shadows.
Elder’s Meditation
of the Day
April 21
“Conciliation is the key to survival. Peace is the goal.”
-Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
When we make decisions or experience conflict, we need to look at the greater whole. The end result we want to accomplish is peace of mind.
If we keep this goal in mind, we will, overall, live a happy and fulfilling life. Everything in the world is constantly changing so we should not resist this change.
A good question to ask ourselves is, “would I rather be right or happy?” If we would rather be happy, then it is easier to let the little things go. If we would rather be right, we tend to look for the WIN/LOSE.
Great Spirit, today, give me the tools to seek peace of mind.
Today’s Gift
April 21
In grief, healing helps us make peace with the meaning of death, which cannot be understood except as an unknown part of life.
—Alla Bozarth-Campbell
It is a sad occasion when we must say goodbye to a loved one or pet who has died. But grief is the only way we can come to understand our losses, and sharing grief helps us experience it more fully.
Perhaps we wish to grieve for something else we’ve lost, like fading youth, a job, a possession, or a habit we had come to enjoy. It’s natural to feel grief over things like this, too.
We can share stories and good memories with other grievers and give free reign to our tears. Sometimes it seems the more we talk, the sadder we feel about our losses, but when we share these feelings with others, we turn our losses into gain. We heal ourselves, pay tribute to those we grieve for, and share an intimate sense of loss with someone else.
Do I have grief to share?
Touchstones
Meditations for Men
April 21
The first skill needed for the Inner Game is called “letting it happen.” This means gradually building a trust in the innate ability of your body to learn and to perform.
—W. Timothy Gallwey
A strange and intriguing mystery confronts us in the Twelve Steps. We are mending our ways; we are becoming accountable; we are striving to do what is right, yet we are learning to let go. This seems like a contradiction of logic, but it leads us to a spiritual awakening.
We are becoming like the accomplished tennis player who has practiced diligently to develop every detail of his skill. Yet when he is playing the game, he cannot focus on control. He must get his ego out of the way and let himself go. It is in letting go that he rises to his highest level of fulfillment. Today we will do what we must. We can make the choices we are faced with. Then we allow ourselves to be carried along by our Higher Power to complete and fulfill the process.
I will look for opportunities to let it happen today.
Daily TAO
April 21
TRADITION
Tradition was once function.
But today there is no tradition.
Where is there a true path?
In the past, people didn’t question the teachings of Tao. There was a living tradition, and if one followed it, one could reasonably expect to walk a good path. But today the traditional teachings of Tao have been dimmed by civil wars, political persecution, and the death of masters. Wealth and technology hold the attention of most people, and few have time for Tao. Adopting arcane methods will not lead to success.
We must discover Tao for ourselves. Seeking it in the here and now means fulfilling the spirit of tradition instead of merely copying it. How can we ape the past? The old ways are gone.
Tao means different things to different people in different times. Indeed, we might say that the Tao of today leads in unprecedented directions. We have to adapt, but being contemporary should not be an excuse for adulteration and shortcuts. Once we find the true path of today, we must walk it with the same determination as the ancients.
Daily Zen
April 21
At the summit:
One rude hut, the snow,
This lonely body, and the wind,
I lean on the rail, heart suddenly struck:
The moon rises from within Great River: there.
– Yuan Mei (1716-1798)