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- 10 27Reading: Welcome back to Sober Readings. My name is Scott. I am glad you're here with me today. It is Tuesday, the 27th of October. I'm gonna read from three books today, and the themes are Suffering and Pain, Suffering and Pain, and Love. What a good ending. But let's get started 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. Today from Daily Reflections, it's titled Global Sharing. The only thing that matters is that he is an alcoholic who has found a key to sobriety. These legacies of suffering and of recovery are easily passed among alcoholics, one to the other. This is the gift from God, and its bestowal upon others like us is the one aim that today animates AAs all around the globe. That's a reading that comes from twelve steps and twelve traditions. And it goes on to say: the strength of Alcoholics Anonymous lies in the desire of each member and of each group around the world to share with other alcoholics their suffering and the steps taken to gain and maintain recovery. By keeping a conscious contact with my higher power, I make sure that I always nurture my desire to help other alcoholics, thus ensuring the continuity of the wonderful. Fraternity of Alcoholics Anonymous. You know, one of the greatest gifts I can give another alcoholic is my willingness to share my story honestly, including the suffering, the pain, the mistakes, and the consequences of my drinking, but also the hope and freedom I found in sobriety. I don't share those experiences because I'm proud of the things I've done or because I want sympathy. I share them because someone sitting in a meeting or listening to this podcast maybe. Might recognize a little bit of themselves in my story. They might be feeling hopeless, ashamed, or convinced that nobody could possibly understand what they're going through. But when they hear that I've been in some of those same dark places and found a way out, maybe they'll begin to believe that recovery is possible for them too. And I think it's just as important to share how I got sober and what I continue to do to stay sober. Because simply telling someone that my life got better doesn't show them how to get there. The meetings, the twelve steps, sponsorship, prayer, service, and the willingness to change are all part of that journey. My experience, strength, and hope might be exactly what another alcoholic needs to hear today. And perhaps the most beautiful part of sharing my story is that while I'm trying to help someone else stay sober, I'm also reminding myself of where I came from, how far I've come. And what I need to keep doing so I never have to go back. The next reading is from 24 hours a day. And if you'll remember, for the last six days, it started off with the AA Thought for the Day, listing the rewards that have come to us as a result of our our new way of life. And so today is the seventh and final reward, which is I can help other alcoholics. I am of some use in the world. I have a purpose in life. I am worth something at last. My life has a direction and a meaning. All that feeling of futility is gone. I can do something worthwhile. God has given me a new lease on life so that I can help other alcoholics. He has let me live through all the hazards of my alcoholic life to bring me at last to a place of real usefulness in the world. He has let me live for this. This is my opportunity and my destiny. I am worth something. Question Will I give as much of my life as I can to AA? And today's meditation for the day? All of us have our own battle to win, the battle between the material view of life and the spiritual view. Something must guide our lives. Will it be wealth, pride, selfishness, and greed, or will it be faith, honesty, purity, unselfishness, love, and service? Each one has a choice and We can choose good or evil. We cannot choose both. Are we going to keep striving until we win the battle? If we win the victory, we can believe that even God in his heaven will rejoice. And in today's prayer for the day, I'm praying that I may choose the good and resist the evil, and that I will not be a loser in the battle for righteousness. And that reading reminds me that looking back at all the suffering and pain I've experienced because of my alcoholism, I realize that today those experiences don't have to be for nothing. I can't go back and change the things I've done or the people I've hurt or the opportunities I've lost. But I do have a new opportunity to take everything I've been through and turn it into something meaningful. Sobriety is giving me a second chance at life, and with that comes the responsibility to do something worthwhile. With it. I can use my experiences to help another alcoholic, become a better father, a better friend, a better person, and continue growing physically, mentally, and spiritually. There was a time when I couldn't understand why I had to go through so much pain, but today I can see how those experiences help have helped shape the person I'm becoming. I don't believe I had to suffer in order to find purpose, but I do believe I can give that suffering a purpose today. And maybe that's one of the greatest gifts of recovery. Realizing that my past doesn't have to define my future, but it can help me make a difference in someone else's. And for today's final reading, we're going to go to Touchstones, a book of daily meditations. And it starts off with a quote from Father Andrew. I feel the more I know God, that he would sooner we did wrong in loving than never love for fear we should do wrong. Love has often been called the first rule of a spiritual life. As we awaken to our new life in this program, we learn that all of God's creation is full of objects for us to love. A sunset repeats the creative energy at work in our world today. It appears briefly, invites our love, and slowly fades away, only to be repeated in a new form the next day. The color and markings on a little bug may inspire our love. As may the smell of moist earth, the excitement of a Broadway musical, the craftsmanship of a well-made tool, or the look of warmth on a friend's face. These are all opportunities for us to let go and feel our love. We men often feel awkward in expressing love. Perhaps we're so self-conscious and guarded that we brace ourselves against saying or doing anything that wouldn't look good. We're learning through our spiritual development to be more fervent lovers and less perfectionistic in love. I think it's fitting that after talking so much about suffering and pain, we end today's readings by talking about love, because in many ways love is what helps us heal from that suffering. We're told that love is the first rule of spiritual life, and I've come to understand just how important that is in my own recovery. As men, Many of us grew up believing that expressing love, especially toward another man, was a sign of weakness or something we just didn't do. I know it felt awkward for me at first to tell another man that I loved him, but the more I started doing it, especially with the men I've come to know in the rooms of AA, the more natural it became. And something interesting happened along the way. I found that expressing love to others became easier, not just in AA, but in other areas of my life as well. I've learned that love isn't something I need to be embarrassed about or hold back. It's about genuinely caring for another person, wanting the best for them, and being willing to show it. Today I see expressing love as a sign of strength, humility, and spiritual growth. And after spending so many years living with fear, anger, and resentment, what a wonderful change it is to live a life where I'm no longer afraid to tell someone that I love them. And so to everyone listening today, I love you. Thank you for listening. I hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks for spending some time with me today. I hope that I said something or that you heard something that stays with you and helps you throughout your day today. Hey, listen, if you enjoyed today's episode and want to help me spread the message and help support sober readings, please subscribe to this podcast and give this episode a like because it really does help a lot more people find the show. So again, thanks for spending a few minutes of your day with me. Be good to yourselves, be good to others, and remember, we only have to do this one day at a time. So 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 always says, best day ever.