Latest / Sober Readings / A Look Backward
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Good morning, welcome to Sober Readings. Today is Wednesday, the twelfth of August. Let's begin today with the Serenity Prayer. God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Today's reading from Daily Reflections, a look backward. First, we take a look backward and try to discover where we had been at fault. Next, we make a vigorous attempt to repair the damage we have done. That's on page seventy seven of twelve steps and twelve traditions. As a traveler on a fresh and exciting AA journey of recovery, I experienced a newfound peace of mind, and the horizon appeared clear and bright, rather than obscure and dim. Reviewing my life to discover where I had been at fault seemed to be such an arduous and dangerous task. It was painful to pause and look backward. I was afraid I might stumble. Couldn't I put the past out of my mind and just live in my new golden present? I realized that those in the past whom I had harmed stood between me and my desire to continue my movement towards serenity. I had to ask for courage to face those persons from my life who still lived in my conscience, to recognize and deal with the guilt that their presence produced in me. I had to look at the damage I had done and become willing to make amends. Only then could my journey of the Spirit resume. Today's reading from twenty four hours a day. August twelfth, AA Thought for the Day. There was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet by Alcoholics Anonymous. By doing so, we have a spiritual experience which revolutionizes our whole attitude toward life, toward others, and toward God's universe. The center fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives there in a way that is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us that we could never do for ourselves. So today's question is Have I let God come into my life? Meditation for the day. The moment a thing seems wrong to you, or a person's actions to be not what you think they should be, at that moment begins your obligation and responsibility to pray for those wrongs to be righted or that person to be changed. What is wrong in your surroundings or in the people you know? Think about these things and make these matters your responsibility. Not to interfere or be a busybody. But to pray that a change may come through your influence. You may see lives altered and evils banished in time. You can become a force for good wherever you are. Today's prayer for the day. I pray that I may be a co-worker with God. I pray that I may help people by my example. Today's meditation from Touchstones. It is a terrible and exorable law that one cannot deny the humanity of another without diminishing one's own. In the face of one's victim, one sees oneself. That's a quote from James Baldwin. Acting totally in our self interest is short sighted and foolishly simple. Attacking another person or another nation reflects on us like a mirror. When any person is undermined, the human race is diminished in some measure, and humanity is our family. Sometimes we see a reflection of ourselves in someone else and fail to recognize it. What we hate most in another may well be what we are hating in ourselves. Knowing this can be useful. Perhaps our teeth are set on edge when we think about our father or a former spouse, former girlfriend, or religious or racial group. How are we like that person or a group? What do they cause us to face within ourselves? When we stop diminishing the other person, we may still not like him or her, but we can come to terms with ourselves. We learn to live and let live. God Help me engage in the brotherhood of my own family and with all people, and to see my own face, even in my enemy. And for today's reading, I'm gonna read from As Bill Sees It, page three three zero to grow up. Those adolescent urges that so many of us have for complete approval, utter security, and perfect romance, urges quite appropriate to age 17, prove to be an impossible way of life at 47 or 57. Since AA began, I've taken huge wallops in all these areas because of my failure to grow up, emotionally and spiritually. And that's from an article on the Grapevine dated January of nineteen fifty eight. As we grow spiritually, we find that our old attitudes towards our instinctual drives need to go under drastic revisions. Our demands for emotional security and wealth, for personal prestige and power all have to be tempered and redirected. We learn that the full satisfaction of these demands cannot be the sole end and aim of our lives. We cannot place the cart before the horse, or we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment. But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first, then and only then do we have a real chance to grow in healthy awareness and mature love. And that's from the twelve and twelve page one one four. And that's gonna do it for today's readings. Thank you so much for listening to Sober Readings. If you enjoyed the show, do me a favor and hit that like button. Leave a comment down below and subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. And if you'd like to be a guest on the show, I'd love to have you. Just send me an email at sober readings with Scott at gmail dot com. And also if you'd like to drop a dollar in the virtual donation basket for today's readings, just go to my website, soberreadings dot com and click the donate button. So again, thank you so much for listening today. Stay sober, keep reading, and I'll see you in the next episode. Until then, take care of yourselves and each other, and 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.