Latest / Sober Readings / Mysterious Ways
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Good morning, welcome to Sober Readings for Tuesday the 17th of March. We are halfway through March already and spring is on its way here in New York. Alright, let's get to today's readings. From Daily Reflections, Mysterious Ways. Out of every season of grief or suffering, when the hand of God seemed heavy or even unjust, new lessons for living were learned, new resources of courage were uncovered, and that finally, inescapably, the conviction came that God does move in a mysterious way his wonders to perform. That's from the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions, page 105. After losing my career, family and health, I remained unconvinced that my way of life needed a second look. My drinking and other drug use were killing me, but I had never met a recovering person or an AA member. I thought I was destined to die alone and that I deserved it. At the peak of my despair, my infant son became critically ill with a rare disease. Doctors' efforts to help him proved useless. I redoubled my efforts to block my feelings But now the alcohol had stopped working. I was left staring into God's eyes, begging for help. My introduction to AA came within days, through an odd series of coincidences, and I have remained sober ever since. My son lived and his disease is in remission. The entire episode convinced me of my powerlessness and the unmanageability of my life. Today, my son and I thank God for his intervention. Today's reading from 24 hours, March 17, AA Thought for the Day. AA also helps us to hang on to sobriety. By having regular meetings so that we can associate with other alcoholics who have come through that same door in the wall, by encouraging us to tell the story of our own sad experiences with alcohol, and by showing us how to help other alcoholics, AA keeps us sober. Our attitude toward life changes from one of pride and selfishness to one of humility and gratitude. So ask yourself today, Am I going to step back through that door in the wall to my old helpless, hopeless, drunken life? The Meditation for the Day. Withdraw into the calm of communion with God. Rest in that calm and peace. When the soul finds its home of rest in God, then it is that real life begins. Only when you are calm and serene can you do good work. Emotional upsets make you useless. The eternal life is calmness and when a man enters into that, then he lives as an eternal being. Calmness is based on complete trust in God. Nothing in this world can separate you from the love of God. and today's prayer for the day. I pray that I may wear the world like a loose garment. I pray that I may keep serene at the center of my being. And for today's final reading, we'll go to page 261 from As Bill Sees It. Fearless and searching. My self-analysis has frequently been faulty. Sometimes I've failed to share my defects with the right people. At other times, I've confessed their defects rather than my own. And it's still other times my confession of defects has been more in the nature of loud complaints about my circumstances and my problems. That is from an article written in the grapevine from June of 1958. When AA suggests a fearless moral inventory, it must seem to every newcomer that more is being asked of him than he can do. Every time he tries to look within himself, pride says, you need not pass this way, and fear says, you dare not look. But pride and fear of this sort turn out to be boogeymen, nothing else. Once we have a complete willingness to take inventory and exert ourselves to do the job thoroughly, A wonderful light falls upon this foggy scene. As we persist, a brand new kind of confidence is born, and the sense of relief at finally facing ourselves is indescribable. That's from the 12 and 12, pages 49 to 50. I've read that paragraph from the 12 and 12 countless times since I've been a member of AA, and I can tell you that even today reading it gives me goose bumps. Because that last line is so true, as we persist a brand new kind of confidence is born, and the sense of relief at finally facing ourselves is indescribable. That is so true for me. I'd love to hear your thoughts and your comments just on that last paragraph alone. It's a great one. So send me your thoughts and your comments in an email at soberreadingswithscott at gmail.com. Or you can go to my website soberreadings.com. There's a short form to fill out. And while you're there, If you'd like to drop a dollar in a donation basket for today's readings, just click the donate button. So thanks for listening everybody. Have a great day. 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.