Latest / Sober Readings / A Spiritual Axiom
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Welcome back to Sober Readings, everyone. My name is Scott. Thank you for joining me. Or welcome to Sober Readings if this is your first time joining us. Today we're going to read from Daily Reflections 24 Hours a day and day by day daily meditations for recovering addicts. And I will give my take on each of those readings. But before we get to any of that, let's get started with the Serenity Prayer. God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change. Courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference. And I think I failed to mention that today is Friday. Happy Friday, everyone. It is the 9th of October. So let's get right to the readings from Daily Reflections for October 9th. It's titled A Spiritual Axiom. It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us. And I think we actually read about this recently in a different reading. So let's get into what this reading is all about. The first line says, I never truly understood the tenth step spiritual axiom until I had the following experience. So the writer goes on to talk about an experience in his bedroom late at night when his dogs are barking in the backyard. And he knows how his neighbors frown upon his dog's barking and they get angry. And so with mixed feelings in anger and shame He immediately called in his dogs. Several weeks later, the same, the exact same situation happened. He was feeling a little more at peace with himself, and he was able to accept the situations. Dogs will bark, they're dogs. And he calmly called in the dogs this time. And he realized that his reactions to both of those situations were based on his spiritual condition. Feelings come from inside, not from outward circumstances. And so when his spiritual condition is positive, he was able to react positively. And my feelings on the spiritual axiom may be a bit repetitive to what I said the other day, but it is certainly worth repeating. The spiritual axiom tells us that whenever we're disturbed, no matter what the cause, there's something wrong with us. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean we're responsible for what happened or that someone else hasn't done something wrong. But it does mean that we have a responsibility to look at our own part in the situation and how we choose to respond. I've learned that when someone or something upsets me, my first instinct is often to look outward and place blame. It's easy to convince myself that if other people would just act the way I think they should, everything would be fine. But that's not how life works, and it's certainly not how recovery works. Sometimes my disturbance comes from pride, fear, resentment. Unrealistic expectations, or simply wanting to control something that isn't mine to control. The spiritual axiom challenges me to stop pointing fingers long enough to take an honest look at myself. It doesn't mean I have to agree with everyone, accept unacceptable behavior, or pretend that something doesn't bother me. It simply means that I don't have to allow someone else's actions to rob me of my peace of mind. And the more I practice this principle, the more I realize that my serenity doesn't depend on everyone around me doing the right thing. It depends on my willingness to examine my own thinking, accept what I cannot change, and take responsibility for the things I can. That's not always easy, but like so many things in recovery, it gets a little easier with practice. So now let's get into twenty four hours a day for October 9th, the AA thought for the day. Am I willing to be bored sometimes at meetings? Am I willing to listen to repetition of AA principles or hear the same thing over and over? Am I willing to sit quietly and listen to long-winded members? Or am I willing to take it because is it doing them good to get it off their chest? My feelings are not too important. The good of AA must come first, and it's not always comfortable for me. And in today's meditation for the day, it discusses how God would draw us all closer to Him in the bonds of the Spirit. He would have all people drawn closer to each other in the bonds of the Spirit. It goes on to say each experience of our life, of joy, of sorrow, of danger, of safety, of difficulty, of success, of hardship, of ease, should be accepted as part of our common lot in the bonds of the spirit. And today's prayer for the day asks us to welcome the bonds of true fellowship, that we be brought closer to unity with God and other people. So the principle that we're talking about in the AA Thought for the Day is acceptance, which is one of the most important principles I practice in recovery, and sometimes the best place to practice it is right there in an AA meeting. There are times when someone shares something that makes me uncomfortable or I find myself listening to the same person tell the same story I've heard a hundred times before. Maybe I don't agree with what they're saying, or maybe I catch myself thinking they should just get to the point. But when I start thinking that way, I have to remind myself why I'm sitting in that room in the first place. I'm not there to judge how someone else works their program, and I'm certainly not there to decide whose share is worth listening to. I'm there to stay sober, to learn. And hopefully to be of service to someone else. That person repeating the same story might be sharing the one thing that's keeping them sober today. And the share that makes me uncomfortable might be exactly what I need to hear, even if I don't realize it at the time. When I allow impatience, judgment, or resentment to creep into my thinking, I'm creating unnecessary disturbances in my own recovery. And if I'm not careful, Those little resentments can eventually become excuses to stop going to meetings altogether. And that is a dangerous place for me to be. Acceptance reminds me that I don't have to agree with everything I hear, but I can still listen with an open mind and a little humility. After all, someone probably listened patiently to me when I was new, when I was struggling or when I was repeating myself, or still do. The least I can do is extend that same grace to someone else. My sobriety depends on keeping an open mind, remaining teachable, and remembering that everyone in that room is fighting their own battle just like I am. And so the last reading for today is from Day by Day, Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts, for October 9th, and the topic is slipping. And it starts off by giving a common rationalization about the program not working. Harry over there slipped. Ten times before he made it. So what if I slip a few times? And similar to our principle of thinking the drink through, think this one through. The last time Sophie slipped, she slipped into a coffin. The last time Bob slipped, his baby daughter died in her crib because of his negligence. And the last time Jim slipped, he tried to kill his partner. And the most important line in this reading for me, this is a matter of life and death. So the statement at the bottom for you to finish, I will avoid slipping today by and here's how I finish that sentence. I will avoid slipping today by remembering that my sobriety is never guaranteed. No matter how much time I have or how comfortable I become in recovery. I'll remind myself that a relapse doesn't necessarily begin with picking up a drink. It can begin long before that, when I stop going to meetings, stop reaching out to other alcoholics. neglect my spiritual life or start believing that I've somehow got this thing figured out. I know from personal experience how easy it is to slowly drift away from the very things that got me sober in the first place. So today I'll pay attention to my thinking, practice acceptance, take an honest look at my motives, and be willing to ask for help when I need it. I'm not trying to let pride, resentment, fear, or complacency convince me that I can do this alone. I'll remember that I don't have to solve every problem in my life today, and I certainly don't have to control everything happening around me. I just have to do the next right thing, stay connected to my higher power, and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Most importantly, I'll remember that staying sober yesterday doesn't automatically keep me sober today. Recovery requires action. This is a program of action, and the actions I take today are what give me the best chance of waking up sober tomorrow. One day at a time, that's all I have to do. And that's all for today's episode of Sober Readings. Thank you so much for listening today. I hope you heard something or I hope I said something that stays with you throughout your day. And if you'd like to be a guest on Sober Readings and share your experience, your strength, your hope, your feedback, or your comments, there's a link in the show notes below to send me an email. You'll also find a link in the show notes to my website, soberreadings.com. Where you can learn more about sober readings and stay connected. Also, if you'd like to drop a dollar in the virtual donation basket for today's readings, just go to the support page on the website and click the button that says drop a dollar in the basket. So if you enjoyed today's episode and want to support sober readings, you can help by subscribing to the podcast and give this episode a like. So again, thanks for spending some time with me today. I really appreciate it. Be good to yourselves, be good to others, and remember We're only doing this one day at a time, so remember just for today, don't drink, go to a meeting, and keep coming back. Have a great day everyone, and as my friend Larry says, best day ever.