Daily Recovery Readings
June 25, 2022
Daily Reflection
A TWO-WAY STREET
If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions. But in no case does He render us white as snow and keep us that way without our cooperation.
— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 65
When I prayed, I used to omit a lot of things for which I needed to be forgiven. I thought that if I didn’t mention these things to God, He would never know about them. I did not know that if I had just forgiven myself for some of my past deeds, God would forgive me also. I was always taught to prepare for the journey through life, never realizing until I came to A.A. – when I honestly became willing to be taught forgiveness and forgiving – that life itself is the journey. The journey of life is a very happy one, as long as I am willing to accept change and responsibility.
From the book Daily Reflections
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Big Book Quote
“Henry Ford once made a wise remark to the effect that experience is the thing of supreme value in life. That is true only if one is willing to turn the past to good account. We grow by our willingness to face and rectify errors and convert them into assets. The alcoholic’s past thus becomes the principal asset of the family and frequently it is almost the only one!”
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 124
24 Hours a Day – The Little Black Book
Thought for the Day
One of the most encouraging facts of life is that your weakness can become your greatest asset. Kites and airplanes rise against the wind. In climbing up a high mountain, we need the stony crags and rough places to aid us in our climb. So your weakness can become an asset if you will face it, examine it, and trace it to its origin. Set it in the very center of your mind. No weakness, such as drinking, ever turned into an asset until it was first fairly faced. Am I making my weakness my greatest asset?
Meditation for the Day
Whenever we seek to worship God, we think of the great universe that God rules over, of creation, of mighty law and order throughout the universe. Then we feel the awe that precedes worship. I too must feel awe, feel the desire to worship God in wondering amazement. My mind is in a box of space and time and it is so made that I cannot conceive of what is beyond space or time, the limitless and the eternal. But I know that there must be something beyond space and time, and that something must be the limitless and eternal Power behind the universe. I also know that I can experience that Power in my life.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may accept the limitless and eternal Spirit. I pray that It may express Itself in my life.
The Language of Letting Go – Codependency
Withholding
Sometimes,
to protect ourselves, we close ourselves off from a person we’re in a
relationship with. Our body may be present, but we’re not. We’re not
available to participate in the relationship.
We shut down.
Sometimes,
it is appropriate and healthy to shut down in a relationship. We may
legitimately need some time out. Sometimes it is self-defeating to close
ourselves off in a relationship.
To
stop being vulnerable, honest, and present for another person can put
an end to the relationship. The other person can do nothing in the
relationship when we are gone. Closing ourselves makes us unavailable to
that relationship.
It is common
to go through temporary periods of closing down in a relationship. But
it is unhealthy to make this an ongoing practice. It may be one of our
relationship-sabotaging devices.
Before
we close down, we need to ask ourselves what we are hoping to
accomplish by shutting down. Do we need some time to deal? To heal? To
grow? To sort through things? Do we need time out from this
relationship? Or are we reverting to our old ways – hiding, running, and
terminating relationships because we are afraid we cannot take care of
ourselves in any other way?
Do
we need to shut down because the other person truly isn’t safe, is
manipulating, lying, or acting out addictively or abusively? Are we
shutting down because the other person has shut down and we no longer
want to be available?
Shutting
down, shutting off, closing ourselves and removing our emotional
presence from a relationship is a powerful tool. We need to use it
carefully and responsibly. To achieve intimacy and closeness in a
relationship, we need to be present emotionally. We need to be
available.
God, help me be emotionally present in the relationships I choose to be in.
Touchstone – Men’s Meditation
Some people greet the morning with a smile, but it’s more natural to protest its presence with sleepy sulkiness. “Who asked you to come again?” we feel like saying to it, as if it were a most unwelcome guest.
—Brendan Francis
We begin with the truth and build on the firm foundation it provides. We often hear we should have a positive attitude, we should be grateful for the new day. Perhaps some days we feel enthusiasm, and it’s wonderful when we do. But we don’t need to turn it into a requirement because shoulds tend to keep us out of touch with our honest feelings.
All feelings are acceptable. Whatever they are, the entire range of color and intensity of feelings comes from our Creator. Our task is dealing with them and responding to them. We begin by acknowledging them as they are. We do not have license to do whatever we feel like doing, only to feel what we feel. This point of honesty is a solid stepping-stone to grow from. We often find we feel different as soon as we admit our feelings.
Today, I will admit my true feelings and accept them as stepping-stones.
Elder’s Meditation
“We are called hollow bones for our people and for anyone else we can help, and we are not supposed to seek power for our personal use and honor.”
–Fools Crow, LAKOTA
In order for us to use our power well, we must become a hollow bone. We must prepare ourselves to become a channel. Our channel must be clean before we can use our power well. We must be free of resentments, guilt, shame, anger, self pity, and fear. If these things are in us, we cannot be hollow bones. These things block us from our power. The cleaner we are, the more power we move. We must become a hollow bone so the Creator can use us to do what he wants us to do.
My Creator, remove from me today all resentment, anger, fear, guilt and selfishness. Do not let my weaknesses stand in the way of my usefulness to You. Make me a hollow bone so Your power can flow through me.
Daily Horoscope – Cancer
Someone could want to play games with you, but it’s up to you whether to engage in these activities with them. You’re probably happy to connect with people as the Moon moves through your social zone, but this may get less idyllic when the Moon trines Pluto in your partnership sector, bringing a specific person, who could have some strong opinions about how you should behave, into your path. If you agree with them, that’s great, but if not, then stand your ground!
The Wandering Enigma 