Latest / Sober Readings / Toward Peace And Serenity
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Happy Friday, everyone. Today is the tenth of July. My name is Scott and this is Sober Readings. Let's begin today's episode 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. From daily reflections today, toward peace and serenity. When we have taken a square look at some of these defects, have discussed them with another, and have become willing to have them removed, our thinking about humility commences to have a wider meaning. That's from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page seventy four. When situations arise which destroy my serenity, pain often motivates me to ask God for clarity and seeing my part in the situations. Admitting my powerlessness, I humbly pray for acceptance. I try to see how my character defects contributed to the situation. Could I have been more patient? Was I intolerant? Did I insist on having my own way? Was I afraid? As my defects are revealed, I put my self-reliance aside and humbly ask God to remove my shortcomings. The situation may not change, but as I practice exercising humility, I enjoy the peace and serenity which are the natural benefits of placing my reliance in a power greater than myself. Today's reading from twenty four hours, july ten, AA thought for the day. We in Alcoholics Anonymous do not enter into theological discussions, but in carrying our message, we attempt to explain the simple how of the spiritual life. How faith in a higher power can help you to overcome loneliness, fear, and anxiety. How it can help you get along with other people. How it can make it possible for you to rise above pain, sorrow, and despondency. How it can help you to overcome your desires for the things that destroy. So ask yourself today, have I reached a simple, effective faith? The Meditation for the Day. Expect miracles of change in people's lives. Do not be held back by unbelief. People can be changed, and they are often ready and waiting to be changed. Never believe that human nature cannot be changed. We see changed people every day. Do you have the faith to make those changes possible? Modern miracles happen every day in the lives of people. All miracles are in the realm of personalities. Human nature can be changed and it is always being changed, but we must have enough faith so that we can be channels for God's strength into the lives of others. And today's prayer for the day I pray that I may have faith to expect miracles. I pray that I may be used by God to help change the lives of others. Today's meditation from touchstones. Fears are educated into us, and can, if we wish, be educated out. That's a quote by Carl A. Meninger. Two of the problems common to men in this program are fear and lack of trust. Many of us have unconsciously enlarged our fears and returned to them again and again. Do we dwell excessively on fears? Are we too fearful about our health, money, jobs, love, jealousy? The future? What other people think? Many of us are victims of our fears and anxieties. Fears in moderation are healthy signals to us, but we need to learn to be more trusting. We can simply open ourselves to the possibility that things will turn out well. We don't need to be blind to the negatives, only have our eyes less fixed on them. No one can ever prove to us that it is finally safe to trust. Fearfulness is the problem, not any one fear. Trusting our higher power, we set our fearfulness aside. Even if a few particular fears remain. Today I will be open to learn about trust. And for today's final reading, let's go to Asbill Sees It page three one two. Tolerance keeps us sober. Honesty with ourselves and others gets us sober, but it is tolerance that keeps us that way. Experience shows that few alcoholics will long stay away from a group just because they don't like the way it is run. Most return and adjust themselves to whatever conditions they must. Some go to a different group or form a new one. In other words, once an alcoholic fully realizes that he cannot get well alone, He will somehow find a way to get well and stay well in the company of others. It has been that way from the beginning of AA, and probably always will be so. And that was written in a letter in nineteen forty three. And that's it for today's readings, but before we close, let's again go back to the question in twenty four hours a day Have I reached a simple, effective faith? And my answer is no. Today I try to keep it simple. I'm learning to reach a simple and effective faith by not overthinking everything. I don't need to fully understand God in order to trust that there's a higher power, a power greater than me. I don't need perfect faith, I need faith that's usable. And that means to me being willing to pray, ask for help, trust in the process, and take the next right action. So my faith works when I keep it simple. Pray, listen, let go, and trust. And so now it's your turn. I'd like to hear your answer. Have I reached a simple, effective faith? Send me an email at sober readings with Scott at gmail.com and I would love to read that on my podcast for you. So that's it for today's episode. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, hit the like button and share this episode. And also if you'd like to be a guest reader on the show. Send me an email, sober readings with Scott at gmail dot com. Or you can go to my website, soberreadings.com and fill out the form. While you're there at my website, ⁓ if you'd like to drop a dollar in today's virtual donation basket, just click that donate button. So again, thank you so much for listening, everyone. Stay sober, keep reading, and I'll see 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.