Latest / Sober Readings / On A Wing And A Prayer
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Welcome to Sober Readings. Today is Wednesday, the third of June. 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 on a Wing and a Prayer. We then look at step six. We have emphasized willingness as being indispensable. That's a line from the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous, page seventy six. Steps four and five were difficult but worthwhile. Now I was stuck on step six and in despair, I picked up the big book and read this passage. I was outside, praying for willingness and When I raised my eyes and saw a huge bird rising in the sky, I watched it suddenly give itself up to the powerful air currents of the mountains. Swept along, swooping and soaring, the bird did things seemingly impossible for mortal birds to do. It was an inspiring example of a fellow creature letting go to a power greater than itself. I realized that if the bird took back his will and tried to fly with to put less trust on its power alone, it would spoil its apparent free flight. That insight granted me the willingness to pray the seventh step prayer. It's not easy to know God's will in each circumstance. I must search out and be ready for the currents, and that's where prayer and meditation help. Because I am of myself nothing. I ask God to grant me the knowledge of His will and the power and courage to carry it out. Today. Today's reading from twenty four hours, june third, AA Thought for the Day. Some more things I do not miss since becoming dry running all over town to find a bar open to get that pickup. Meeting my friends and trying to cover up that I feel lousy, looking at myself in a mirror and calling myself a damn fool, struggling with myself to snap out of it for two or three days, wondering what it is all about. I'm positive I don't miss these things, am I not? The meditation for the day. Love is the power that transforms your life. Try to love your family and your friends, and then try to love everybody that you possibly can, even the sinners and publicans, everybody. Love for God is an even greater thing. It is the result of gratitude to God and it is the acknowledgement of the blessing that God has sent you. Love for God acknowledges his gifts and leaves the way open for God to shower yet more blessings on your thankful heart. Say thank you, God, until it becomes a habit. And today's prayer for the day. I pray that I may try to love God and all men. I pray that I may continually thank God for all his blessings. And for today's final reading we're gonna read from As Bill Sees It Page two hundred nine one Painkiller or Pain Healer? I believe that when we were active alcoholics we drank mostly to kill pain of one kind or another, physical or emotional or psychic. Of course, everybody has a cracking point, and I suppose you reached yours, hence the resort once more to the bottle. If I were you, I wouldn't heap devastating blame on myself for this. On the other hand, the experience should redouble your conviction that alcohol has no permanent value as a painkiller. And that is from a letter written in nineteen fifty nine. In every AA story, pain has been the price of admission into a new life. But this admission price purchased more than we expected. It led us to a measure of humility, which we soon discovered to be a healer of pain. We began to feel pain less and desire humility more than ever. That's from the twelve and twelve page seventy five. And that's it for today's episode of Sober Readings. If you enjoyed the show, please do me a huge favor and hit the like button. Share this episode with someone you think might need it, and drop a comment and let me know what you thought. Also, if you'd like to join me on the show as a guest reader, just send me an email at soberreadings with Scott at gmail.com. And if you'd like to drop a dollar in today's virtual donation basket, just go to my website, soberreadings.com, and click the donate button. So thank you so much for listening. Stay sober. Keep reading, and I'll catch 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, and as my friend Larry says, best day ever.