Daily Reflections
January 21
SERVING MY BROTHER
The member talks to the newcomer not in a spirit of power but in a spirit of humility and weakness.
—ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE p. 279
As the days pass in A.A., I ask God to guide my thoughts and the words that I speak. In this labor of continuous participation in the Fellowship, I have numerous opportunities to speak. So I frequently ask God to help me watch over my thoughts and my words, that they may be the true and proper reflections of our program; to focus my aspirations once again to seek His guidance; to help me be truly kind and loving, helpful and healing, yet always filled with humility, and free from any trace of arrogance.
Today I may very well have to deal with disagreeable attitudes or utterances—the typical stock-in-trade attitude of the still-suffering alcoholic. If this should happen, I will take a moment to center myself in God, so that I will be able to respond from a perspective of composure, strength and sensibility.
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
January 21
A.A. Thought For The Day
To grasp the A.A. program, we have to think things out. Saint Paul said: “They are transformed by the renewing of their minds.” We have to learn to think straight. We have to change from alcoholic thinking to sober thinking. We must build up a new way of looking at things. Before we came into A.A., we wanted an artificial life of excitement and everything that goes with drinking. That kind of life looked normal to us then. But as we look back now, that life looks the exact opposite of normal. In fact, it looks most abnormal. We must reeducate our minds. Am I changing from an abnormal thinker to a normal thinker?
Meditation For The Day
I will take the most crowded day without fear. I believe that God is with me and controlling all. I will let confidence be the motif running through all the crowded day. I will not get worried, because I know that God is my helper. Underneath are the everlasting arms. I will rest in them, even though the day be full of things crowded in upon me.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may be calm and let nothing upset me. I pray that I may not let material things control me and choke out spiritual things.
Walk In Dry Places
January 21
Giving Wisely is Safe
Helping others.
Most of us admit that we were selfish people when we drank. Even when we brought drinks for others, we did so either to seek their approval or in the expectancy that they would return the favor.
Our need in sobriety is to become unselfish by giving freely and cheerfully of ourselves. This, too, has its pitfalls. Feeling guilty about past selfishness, we may go overboard in helping others do things that they need to do for themselves. This can only lead to failure and disillusionment. It is common to hear AA members complain about people who are not in recovery despite help extended to them in finding a job, a place to live, and other necessities.
But in giving, it is not always right to look for a “quid pro quo” … something in return … or even for the others person’s recovery and well-being. It’s best to let the giving itself be its own reward. If we feel good about what we have done, we probably are doing the right things. Later on, when additional and unexpected rewards come to us, we can accept them as bonuses.
I can make progress in overcoming selfishness and self-centeredness if I give selflessly to others and take an honest interest in their problems.
Keep It Simple
January 21
“What is defeat? … Nothing but the first step to something better.”
—Wendell Phillips
A man walks into a meeting. He says,”I surrender. I can’t drink like other folks.” We smile and welcome him. We know that feeling. All of us in the program must admit defeat. Our illness is more powerful than we are. We begin recovery when we surrender. Admitting defeat is our first step into a beautiful world. Like all first steps, it’s hard. But what a world we find ourselves in! A world where we count. A world where all are really equal! This first step brings us into God’s world of care. We get love. We give love. We stay sober because daily we admit defeat.
Prayer for the Day: In surrender, I can’t drink and use other drugs. I’m different. Higher Power, help me surrender daily.
Action for the Day: Every so often, I need to admit defeat and talk about what it was like, what happened, and where I am now.
“When you make a mistake, make amends immediately. It’s easier to eat crow while it’s still warm.”
—Sherrie R.“In any moment of decision, The best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.”
—President Theodore Roosevelt“Forgiveness ought to be like a canceled note—torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one.”
—Henry Ward Beecher
Father Leo’s Daily Meditation
January 21
TOLERANCE
“The price of freedom of religion or of speech or of the press is that we must put up with, and even pay for, a good deal of rubbish.”
—Justice Robert Jackson
I need to be tolerant in my sobriety. I need to allow others to say what they feel and live according to their standards.
I was intolerant towards people who were different from myself. Much of what I criticized yesterday, I accept today; some things I still reject.
To love a person should not require “sameness;” equally, I can accept a person without agreeing with what they say or how they behave. Disagreements and conflicts lead to growth; change requires a variety of forces.
Not everything I say to do is “pure”—and that has become the key to the acceptance of others. My history teaches me that I benefit from the variety of opinions that are represented in mankind.
Lord, You have created many ways to Truth, may I appreciate them through the experiences of others.
Daily Inspiration
January 21
When your burdens seem heavier than usual, know that your blessings are more than usual. Lord, I call on You for the strength, the wisdom and the confidence that I will need today.
God values us so much that He gave us all that He has; His Son Jesus. Show that you value Him, too, by putting Him first in all aspects of your life. Lord, when I put You first in my life, order and peace follow.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day
January 21
“This is the time of awakening to the inner father and the inner mother. Without this we will receive no high initiation; instead we get initiated into darkness. That’s because any investigation or revolution without God leads, not to freedom, but to more slavery.”
—Willaru Huayta, QUECHAU NATION, PERU
Honor the Father and the Mother. Father stands for wisdom and Mother stands for feelings. Inside each of us is the Father and the Mother. If we do not honor both, we will not grow in balance. To honor both the Father and the Mother helps our masculine and feminine sides grow. The winter season is a good time to focus on this. This is our season of reflection. Honoring both sides allows us to see the Creator is both Father and Mother.
Great Spirit, Father Sky, Mother Earth, guide me today. Let me experience balance.
Today’s Gift
January 21
“If you realize you aren’t so wise today as you thought you were yesterday, you’re wiser today.”
—Olin Miller
Smug was a kitten who thought she knew everything. She knew how to clean herself with her sandpaper tongue, how to sleep, eat, and keep warm, and how to sharpen her tiny claws. One day, her mother wanted to teach Smug to climb trees. “I don’t need to learn this,” thought Smug, “I already know everything I need to know.” Without much interest, Smug watched her mother climb a tall tree and come down again. When it was Smug’s turn, she said, “I’ll stay on the ground where it’s safe.” Just then, a large black dog came trotting around the corner.
Aren’t we often like Smug, certain that we know all we need to know, or that we really don’t need to know something another is trying to teach us? When we rid ourselves of the pride that keeps us from learning these things, we’ll feel a little safer if any big black dogs come around the corner. And we will have grown smarter by recognizing our need to know more.
Am I smart enough to admit my need to learn more today?
Touchstones – Daily Meditation For Men
January 21
“There are things for which an uncompromising stand is worthwhile.”
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer
For many of us, a time came when we said, “I’m not going to live this way anymore!” This was a deep, internal decision for change, even though we didn’t know how it would come about. Somehow we had reached bottom, and we no longer debated about whose fault our problems were. We quit negotiating over what we would change and what we would not change. We were willing to put all our energy into finding a better life, no matter what it would require. That is the kind of inner readiness that finally made real change possible.
Such willingness to take an uncompromising stand and give ourselves totally to a worthwhile cause is a model for our lives. It’s the beginning of deep change. Many men and women have taken similar heroic stands for other causes, like world peace, compassion for the poor and hungry, human rights, and protection of the environment.
On this day, I will take a stand for what is worthwhile.
Daily TAO
January 21
SKILLS
Zither, chess, book, painting, sword.
These symbolize classical skill.
There was once a wanderer who cared nothing for fame. Although he had many chances for position, he continued to search for teachers who could help him master five things: zither, chess, book, painting, and sword.
The zither gave him music, which expressed the soul. Chess cultivated strategy and a response to the actions of another. Books gave him academic education. Painting was the exercise of beauty and sensitivity. Sword was a means for health and defense.