Latest / Sober Readings / I Was An Exception
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Good morning, and welcome back to Sober Readings, where recovery happens one episode and one day at a time. My name is Scott. Thank you for joining me today. Today is Wednesday, the 23rd of September. Let's get started 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 wisdom to know the difference. Today's reading from Daily Reflections. I was an exception. He, Bill W., said to me gently and simply, Do you think that you are one of us? That's from the third edition of the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous, page four one three. During my drinking life, I was convinced I was an exception. I thought I was beyond petty requirements and had the right to be excused. I never realized that the dark counterbalance of my attitude was the constant feeling that I did not belong. At first in AA, I identified with others only as an alcoholic. What a wonderful awakening for me it has been to realize that if human beings were doing the best they could, then so was I. All of the pains, confusions, and joys they feel are not exceptional, but part of my life, just as much as anybody's. Today's reading from 24 hours a day. September 23, AA Thought for the Day. Step twelve is having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Note that the basis of our effectiveness in carrying the message to others is the reality of our own spiritual awakening. If we have not changed, We cannot be used to change others. To keep this program, we must pass it on to others. We cannot hoard it for ourselves. We may lose it unless we give it away. It cannot flow into us and stop. It must continue to flow into us as it flows out to others. So today's question Am I always ready to give away what I have learned in AA? The meditation for the day. Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto you. When you are faced with a problem beyond your strength, you must turn to God by an act of faith. It is that turning to God in each trying situation that you must cultivate. The turning may be one of glad thankfulness for God's grace in your life. Or your appeal to God may be a prayerful claiming of His strength to face a situation and finding that you have it when the time comes. Not only the power to face trials, but also the comfort and joy of God's nearness and companionship as yours for the asking. Today's prayer for the day. I pray that I may try to draw near to God each day in prayer. I pray that I may feel his nearness and his strength in my life. And for today's final reading, let's go to As Bill Sees It. Today we're reading from page two zero Light from a Prayer. God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. We treasure our serenity prayer because it brings a new light to us that can dissipate our old time and nearly fatal habit of fooling ourselves. In the radiance of this prayer we see that defeat, rightly accepted, need be no disaster. We now know that we do not have to run away and Nor ought we again try to overcome adversity by still another bulldozing power drive that can only push up obstacles before us faster than they can be taken down. And that was from an article in the Grapevine from March of 1962. And that's it for today's readings. Before I close, let's talk a little bit about the Serenity Prayer. They talk about the importance of it in As Bill Sees It. The Serenity Prayer is most commonly associated with American theologian Reinhold Niebor, who is credited with writing an early version of it around the beginning of the nineteen forties. It eventually found its way into Alcoholics Anonymous, where its simple message became deeply connected with recovery, asking for serenity to accept what I can't change, courage to change what I can, and wisdom to know the difference. For me, that's not just a prayer for meetings. It's a practical way to get through everyday life sober. So much of my frustration comes from trying to control things that aren't mine to control. Other people's opinions, their behavior, what happened yesterday, and what might happen tomorrow, or whether life unfolds the way I think it should. The Serenity Prayer reminds me to bring my attention back to the one place where I can actually have some power. My own actions today. I can't control what someone says to me, but I can control how I respond. I can't rewrite my past, but I can decide what I do with this day. And I can't guarantee what tomorrow will bring, but I can do the next right thing in front of me. That's why I think the last part, the wisdom to know the difference, may be the most important part of all. In sobriety, I need to continually ask myself, is this something I can change? Or is this something I need to accept? Sometimes courage means taking action, making amends, asking for help, going to a meeting, or changing something in my life. Other times courage looks like letting go. The serenity prayer helps me separate those two things. And when I can do that, life becomes a little less complicated. I don't have to solve everything today. I just have to accept what isn't mine to change, take responsibility for what is. Pray for acceptance of the outcome of things and stay sober through whatever this day brings. And so I hope my explanation of the Serenity Prayer and how I use it in my sobriety daily helps you today and gives you a little more understanding of why the serenity prayer is so important in sobriety. If you'd like to share your thoughts and your comments on the Serenity Prayer or any other of the readings today, head on over to my website, soberreadings.com, and click that. Be a guest page and fill out that short form. And while you're there at the website, if you'd like to drop a dollar in the donation basket for today's readings, just click on the support page and there's a button that says drop a dollar in the basket. So again, thank you so much for listening today. As always, just for today, don't drink, go to a meeting, and keep coming back. ⁓ and don't forget to ask yourself today, where are my feet? Have a great day, everyone, and as my friend Larry says. Best day ever.