Transcript

Our Survival · Sober Readings

10 29Reading: Hey, good morning. Welcome back to Sober Readings. Today's Thursday, the twenty ninth of October. I am gonna read Daily Reflections twenty-four hours, and as Bill sees it today, let's get started today like we always do 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. From daily reflections, our survival. Since recovery from alcoholism is life itself to us, it is imperative that we preserve in full strength our means of survival. That comes from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. The honesty expressed by members of AA in meetings has the power to open my mind. Nothing can block the flow of energy that honesty carries with it. The only obstacle to this flow of energy is inebriation. But even then, No one will find a closed door if he or she has left and chooses to return. Once he or she has received the gift of sobriety, each AA member is challenged on a daily basis to accept a program of honesty. And I'll stop right there with that reading. You know, honesty seems to be a recurring theme in our daily readings, and I don't think that's a coincidence. It's one of the most important principles in sobriety, and it's the H in how. The program works. Honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness. For me, honesty means much more than simply not telling lies to other people. It means being honest with myself about my thoughts and my feelings and my motives, and especially my shortcomings. When I was drinking, I became pretty good at making excuses, justifying my behavior and convincing myself that things weren't as bad as they really were. Today, I've learned that dishonesty, even in the smallest ways, can lead me right back to guilt and shame and the kind of thinking that once kept me drinking. The beautiful thing about honesty is the freedom that comes with it. I no longer have to remember what I told somebody or hide behind excuses or pretend to be somebody I'm not. And I've come to realize that if I can't be honest with myself, I can't truly begin to change myself. And that's why honesty isn't just something I practice in recovery. It's the foundation that makes my recovery possible. Today's reading from twenty four hours, the AA thought for the day. My relationships with my children have greatly improved. Those children who saw me drunk and were ashamed, those children who turned away in fear and even loathing have seen me sober and like me, have turned to me in confidence and trust and have forgotten the past as best they could. They've given me a chance for companionship that I had completely missed. And today's meditation for the day. Our true measure of success in life is the measure of spiritual progress that we have revealed in our lives. Others should be able to see a demonstration of God's will in our lives. The measure of His will that those around us have seen worked out in our daily living is the measure of our true success. And in today's prayer for the day, I'm praying that I may so live that others will see in me something of the working out of the will of God. And that my life may be a demonstration o of what the grace of God can do. You know, one of the greatest blessings of my sobriety is the relationship I have with my with my children today. There's something incredibly special about knowing that they feel comfortable coming to me for advice or asking for my opinion, or sometimes just calling to talk about whatever whatever's going on in their lives. I don't take any of that for granted because I know that trust is something that has To be earned. And sobriety has allowed me to become a father who is present and dependable and available when they need me. One of my children is also on her own journey in sobriety, and I can't begin to describe how grateful I am that she feels comfortable talking openly and honest honestly with me about her experiences and her struggles, and about the many gifts that come with living a sober life. To be able to share that understanding with my daughter, to encourage one another and to ha and to have conversations that come from a place of genuine love and experience is something I never could have imagined years ago. I certainly haven't been a perfect father, and I can't go back and change the past, but I can be the best father I'm capable of being today. And when I think about the promises and the gifts of this program, I don't have to look very far. Sometimes those gifts are as simple and beautiful as a phone call from one of my kids, knowing that they trust me enough to let me be a part of their lives. For today's final reading, we're gonna read from As Bill Sees It and this one's titled Dealing with Resentments. Resentment is the number one offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stems all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have also been spiritually ill. When our spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically. And I want to stop right there in that reading and talk about the spiritual malady, because what we're talking about is something much deeper than just the physical craving for alcohol. Or the mental obsession with drinking. For me, it's that feeling of being disconnected from my higher power, from other people, and even from myself. It's the selfishness and the fear and resentment, the dishonesty, and constant need to control everything around me that can make life so difficult, even when I'm not drinking. I've learned that simply putting down the bottle doesn't automatically fix those things. That's where working the twelve steps, developing a relationship with my higher power, helping others, and practicing spiritual principles, practicing these principles in all my affairs, is so important in my daily life. As I begin to overcome that spiritual malady, I find that other areas of my life start falling into place as well. My mind becomes quieter, my emotions become more manageable, and I begin taking better care of myself physically. I no longer have to live in constant fear and anger and guilt or resentment. And I don't have to fight every battle that comes my way. That doesn't mean life becomes perfect or that I never struggle, but it does mean that I have a healthier way of dealing with those struggles. The greatest freedom I found in sobriety isn't just freedom from alcohol, it's freedom from so much of the thinking and behavior that once made me miserable. And to me That's what spiritual recovery is really all about. And so that's it for today's episode of Sober Readings. Thank you all for listening to me. I hope something I said or something in the readings helps you today in your journey. And if you'd like to be a guest on Sober Readings and share your experience, strength and hope, or talk about one of the readings and share your take on them, there's a link in the show notes below to send me an email. And also in the show notes, you'll find a link to To my website, soberreadings.com, where you can learn more about sober readings and me. And also while you're there, if you click on that support page and scroll down, you'll find a button that says drop a dollar in the basket if you'd like to make a donation today. And if you enjoyed today's episode and want to support sober readings, please subscribe to this podcast and give this episode a like. So th so again, thank you for spending a few minutes of your day with me. Be good to yourselves and be good to others, and remember We only have to do this one day at a time. So just for today, don't drink, go to a meeting, and keep coming back. Have a great day, everyone, and as my friend Larry always says, best day ever.