Daily Reflections
November 5
“THE QUALITY OF FAITH”
This has to do with the quality of faith. In no deep or meaningful sense had we ever taken stock of ourselves. We had not even prayed rightly. We had always said, “Grant me my wishes” instead of “Thy will be done.”
–TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.32
God does not grant me material possessions, take away my suffering, or spare me from disasters, but He does give me a good life, the ability to cope, and peace of mind. My prayers are simple: first, they express my gratitude for the good things in my life, regardless of how hard I have to search for them; and second, I ask only for the strength and the wisdom to do His will. He answers with solutions to my problems, sustaining my ability to live through daily frustrations with a serenity I did not believe existed, and with the strength to practice the principles of A.A. in all of my everyday affairs.
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
November 5
A.A. Thought For The Day
During our thoughts about the rewards that have come to us as a result of our new way of living, we find that we have new kinds of homes, new relationships with our spouses and with our children. Also, peace, contentment, hope, faith, charity, and new ambition. What are some of the things we have lost? Each one of us can answer this question in many ways. I have lost much of my fear. It used to control me; it was my master. It paralyzed my efforts. Fear always got me down. It made me an introvert, an ingrown person. When fear was replaced by faith, I got well. Have I lost some of my fears?
Meditation For The Day
The world would sooner be brought close to God. His will would sooner be done on earth, if all who acknowledge Him gave themselves unreservedly to being used by Him. God can use every human being as a channel for divine love and power. What delays the bringing of the world closer to God is the backwardness of His followers. If each one lived each day for God and allowed God to work through him, then the world would soon be drawn much closer to God, its Founder and Preserver.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may be used as a channel to express the Divine Love. I pray that I may so live as to bring God’s spirit closer to the world.
Walk In Dry Places
November 5
No apologies for sobriety
Attitude
Now that we are sober, some of us are invited to social events where there is drinking. Now and then, we see raised eyebrows when others learn that we’re having only soft drinks.
Some of us may respond by explaining that we were alcoholics and cannot take even one drink. A few recovering alcoholics handle the situation by pretending that they’re holding an alcoholic drink—- perhaps enlisting the bartender’s aid in making the drink appear to contain liquor.
While it may be useful to tell others about our alcoholism, we are under no obligation to do so, particularly in a drinking environment. At the same time, there’s something wrong with pretending that one is still taking alcoholic drinks.
Our best course is to remember that we never have to apologize for not drinking. In a world that makes so much fuss about the right to drink, we surely have a right not to drink, and we do not have to explain why we are not drinking.
If I find myself in a drinking environment today, I’ll handle it with dignity and cheerfulness, but I will not feel I must defend my sobriety to others.
Keep It Simple
November 5
“Acceptance and faith are capable of producing 100% sobriety.”
–Grapevine
Acceptance and faith are the most important parts of our recovery. If we boil down Steps One
And Two, we’ll find acceptance and faith. Acceptance means we see the world as it is, not as we want it to be. We start to see ourselves as humans, not as gods. We are good, and we are bad. We need to fit in the world, not run it.
Acceptance also guides us toward faith. Faith is believing. We start to believe that someone or something will take care of us. Faith is about giving up control of outcomes. We learn to say to our Higher Power, “Thy will be done.”
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power help me accept my illness. Give me the faith to know that You and I, together, will keep me sober.
Action for the Day: Throughout the day, I’ll think of the 11th step. I’ll pray to my Higher Power, “Thy Will be done, not mine.” Amen.
“When looking in the mirror you see the most important person in the world to you. If you can’t look that person in the eye and say “I love you,” change something. Your life depends on it.”
–NoMoGin
Father Leo’s Daily Meditation
November 5
FEAR
“The spirit of liberty … is the spirit which is not too sure it is always right.”
–Judge Learned Hand
I am free to make mistakes. It is okay for me to be wrong. I can say or do something that proves to be incorrect. I am not perfect. Part of the liberty of being a human being is not being perfect; I am not God. In a sense this is a relief. I do not have to take responsibility for the lives of others or the crises in the world. It is okay not to have all the answers. Indeed, sometimes the spiritual life is discovered in “not knowing” and the answer will forever remain in the question. It is human to ask “why are we like we are?” But the answer rests in God.
God of Reason, let me be satisfied with discovering You in the questions.
Daily Inspiration
November 5
When your energy levels are low and your spirit needs a boost, take a short walk or quiet break and use the time for a talk with God and a little healing meditation. Lord, help me to brighten my day, keep my spirit strong, and bring more laughter to my life.
If you think success and really believe it will happen, you will perform in a manner that leads to success. Lord, may I always avoid negative thoughts and visualize myself in the manner that You intended for me.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day
November 5
“You could study the ancestors, but without a deep feeling of communication with them it would be surface learning and surface talking. Once you have gone into yourself and have learned very deeply, appreciate it, and relate to it very well, everything will come very easily.”
–Ellen White, NANAIMO
Inside of every human being are our ancestors, and these ancestors still live. Today, the white man calls this DNA, but there is more than DNA. We have the ability to go inside of ourselves and learn from the ancestors. The ancestor teachings reside in the place of the center. The ancestors are waiting for us to come there so they can share the ancient teachings. It is said, “Be still and know”.
Great Spirit, let me walk in the stillness.
Journey to the Heart
November 5
Create Your Destiny from Your Heart
Be aware of life’s energy moving, pushing, pulling, guiding you forward each moment of the day
And know each moment is your destiny.
You’re connected to and part of a mysterious, invisible life force. Let it guide you forward. Let it move you along. Clear yourself of all that blocks your connection to that life force– old emotions, old beliefs, remnants of the past.
Listen to your heart. It will take you, move you to where you need to go. No, you cannot see as far ahead as you would like, as far ahead as you used to think you could. That is because you have undertaken the journey to your heart. Seeing would prevent you from listening, trusting, opening to the magical guidance that comes from within. You would confuse things, think you had to control, manage, make things happen. You would confound yourself with the illusions of the past. You would become afraid.
Stay in the present moment. Listen to your inner guidance. Trust the wisdom of your heart. Feel the life force, guiding you, moving you forward. Go where it leads.
Embrace your destiny. Know you help create it by what you choose each step of the way.
Today’s Gift
November 5
“Nature, the Gentlest Mother, is Impatient of no Child …”
—Emily Dickinson
When a girl sits on the seashore, the waves do not try to slap her around. When a boy wanders alone in a field, the sky does not accuse him of talking back. When a man is alone in the woods, does the earth nag him for failing once more? And when a woman is alone in the park, does the wind whisper behind her back? Nature never blames or condemns: she gives us freedom of thought and plenty of space. Nature’s ways are proven and true; she lets us grow at our own rate. Nature brings us sleep, dawn, new days; she is full of new life.
We are a part of nature, and everything we do is part of it. We can find comfort in this knowledge, if we take the time to remember it when we are feeling bad. Nature is always willing to share its serenity.
When we escape to nature, what feelings do we have that we want to take back home with us?
Touchstones Meditations For Men
November 5
“The struggle of the male to learn to listen to and respect his own intuitive, inner promptings is the greatest challenge of all. His … conditioning has been so powerful that it has all but destroyed his ability to be self-aware.”
—Herb Goldberg
Men strive to be successful with mechanical, physical, and powerful things. Some of us have succeeded in those supposedly “male” ways and others haven’t. But whether we have or not, most of us have poured our energies into those directions and neglected the other way of being strong men. We may not have learned how to be gentle and helpful fathers, sensitive lovers, or men in tune with our own spirits and feelings. Many of us never learned to recognize what we feel.
Perhaps we were taught to stand up for ourselves. But have we learned to stand up for our right to have feelings? Do we stand up for our right to be learners and to make mistakes? Do we stand up for our right to be aware and to be the men we find ourselves to be, rather than what others tell us we should be?
I will become more aware of my inner-self as a growing man on this uncharted journey.
Daily TAO
November 5
CONTEMPORARY
Why do yogis die today?
Why are there no immortals any more?
What has happened to all the sorcerers?
Why don’t angels come to earth?
A book written by a contemporary yogi stated that the author passed away on a certain date. What a contrast to the scriptures that indicate that a holy person’s death was unknown, or that the person has been seen by successive generations, or that the person was even resurrected!
Today, all holy people die. No one is recognized as a saint, and the supernatural is no longer a consideration. Why? Because people no longer believe these things to be true.