Daily Reprieve

From Today’s Daily Reflections;

Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times.   (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 87)

Some say that experience is the best teacher, but I believe that experience is the only teacher. I have been able to learn of God’s love for me only by the experience of my dependence on that love. At first I could not be sure of His direction in my life, but now I see that if I am to be bold enough to ask for His guidance, I must act as if He has provided it. I frequently ask God to help me remember that He has a path for me.

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It is possible, I believe, to learn from the experience of others.  It takes empathy, humility, and getting tired of the painfully slow process of learning in isolation.

“Though there is no way of proving it, we believe that early in our drinking careers most of us could have stopped drinking.”  (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 32)

“We, who are familiar with the symptoms, see large numbers of potential alcoholics among young people everywhere.  But try to get them to see it!”  [Footnote; True when this book was first published.  But a 2003 U.S. / Canada membership survey showed about one-twelfth of A.A.’s were thirty and under.]”

The high bottom phenomenon has developed in abstinence and can develop to produce the simple faith necessary to find the spirituality that makes us happily sober.

I do not want to have to test every aspect of this process if it is not necessary.  Many of us have suffered and fallen, and hopefully we can secure their experience for the group, and for ourselves.

From Today’s Daily Reflections;

We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program.  Willingness, honesty and open-mindedness are the essentials of recovery.  But these are indispensable.   (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 568)

Am I honest enough to accept myself as I am and let this be the “me” that I let others see? Do I have the willingness to go to any length, to do whatever is necessary to stay sober?  Do I have the open mindedness to hear what I have to hear, to think what I have to think, and to feel what I have to feel?

If my answer to these questions is “Yes,” I know enough about the spirituality of the program to stay sober. As I continue to work the Twelve Steps, I move on to the heart of true sobriety: serenity with myself, with others, and with God as I understand Him.

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An interesting implication of today’s Daily Reflection is that there are things I have to hear, thoughts I have to think, and feelings I have to feel in order to obtain sobriety.  I cannot block them out with old ways that have reinforced my alcoholism.   This requires that I develop open-mindedness.  Another implication is that my honest self-appraisal must move from internal acceptance to public exposure, which can be a very scary prospect.

The final implication for me is one I have often heard, and that is that our willingness must be translated to actions motivated by a desperation to stay sober above all other concerns.  Sobriety is not just a good idea for me, it is life and death.  It is the most essential idea in this spiritual heart transplant.

From Today’s Daily Reflections;

The principles we have set down are guides to progress.   (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 6)

Just as a sculptor will use different tools to achieve desired effects in creating a work of art, in Alcoholics Anonymous the Twelve Steps are used to bring about results in my own life. I do not overwhelm myself with life’s problems, and how much more work needs to be done. I let myself be comforted in knowing that my life is now in the hands of my Higher Power, a master craftsman who is shaping each part of my life into a unique work of art. By working my program I can be satisfied, knowing that “in doing the best that we can for today, we are doing all that God asks of us.”

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Where there is anxiety in my gut, please replace it with trust in my connection to you, my Higher Power.   Validate my simple faith to those who examine my life.  Let them see that I am more effective connected than isolated.  Carve out my true self.