Latest / Sober Readings / Letting Go Of Our Old Selves
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Good morning. This is Sober Readings. Today is Thursday, the fourth of June. Let's begin today's episode with the Serenity Prize. 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 for June 4. Letting go of our old selves. Carefully reading the first five proposals, we ask if we have omitted anything, for we are building an arch which through we shall walk a free man at last. Are we now ready to let God remove from us all the things which we have admitted are objectionable? That's from the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 75 to 76. The sixth step is the last preparation step. Although I have already used prayer extensively, I have made no formal request of my higher power in the first six steps. I have identified my problem, come to believe that there is a solution, made a decision to seek this solution, and have cleaned house. I now ask, Am I willing to live a life of sobriety, of change, to let go of my old self? I must determine if I am truly ready to change. I review what I have done and become willing for God to remove all my defects of character, for in the next step I will tell my Creator, I am willing and will ask for help. If I have been thorough in the preparation of my foundation and feel that I am willing to change, I am then ready to continue with the next step. If we still cling to something we will not let go, we ask God to help us be willing. That's from Alcoholics Anonymous, page seventy six. The reading from twenty four hours, june fourth, AA Thought for the Day. Some things I like since becoming dry, feeling good in the morning, full use of my intelligence, joy in my work, money in my pocket, a complete lack of remorse, the confidence of my friends, the prospect of a happy future, the appreciation of the beauties of nature, knowing what it is all about. I'm sure that I like these things, am I not? The meditation for the day. Molding your life means cutting and shaping your material into something good, something which can express the spiritual. All material things are the clay out of which we mold something spiritual. You must first recognize the selfishness in your desires and motives, actions and words, and then mold that selfishness until it is sublimated into a spiritual weapon for good. As the work of molding proceeds, You see more and more clearly what must be done to mold your life into something better. And today's prayer for the day. I pray that I may mold my life into something useful and good. I pray that I may not be discouraged by the slow progress that I make. And the final reading today is going to be the daily meditation from Touchstones. June 4. I will thank you because I am marvelously made. Your works are wonderful, and I know it well. That's from Psalms 139 14. Some days we feel bad about ourselves. Perhaps there is no real reason except that a mood has come over us. Moodiness is a Remnant of our past. Or perhaps we feel guilty or ashamed or hurt. We feel blue. We feel grouchy toward ourselves, toward others around us, toward the world. This is a time to turn it over to our higher power. We are children of the universe. We are loved. Our Creator has endowed us with marvelous strengths and potential. Today may be a day we allow ourselves to be carried along by the love of our higher power. If we reach out, we will feel the presence of the Spirit in our contact with other people. We need not try so hard. We only need to pray for openness within ourselves to feel the love of God. I pray for help today to renew the feeling within that God loves me and never abandons me. And that's it for today's readings. Thanks for listening. Before I close, I'd like to go back to the AA Thought for the Day from the 24 Hours book. So it starts off by saying some things I like since becoming dry, and then it lists a few things. And so I thought I'd list three things that I am grateful for in sobriety ambition to be a better human being, a relationship with my higher power, and the incredible friendships I've made in the fellowship. What are three things that you are grateful for today in your sobriety? You can say ⁓ out loud to yourself, you can write ⁓ down in a journal. I always find that writing things down so I can see them on paper is much more helpful for me. Or if you'd like, you can send them to me and I can read ⁓ on the air. ⁓ you can send me an email at soberreadingswithscott at gmail dot com. I'd love to hear your comments. So that's it for today's episode of Sober Readings. Thanks again for listening. If you'd like to be a part of the show You could send me an email at sober readings with Scott at gmail.com, or you can go to my website, soberreadings.com, and there's a short form that you can fill out, and that'll also get your letter to me. ⁓ also, while you're at the website, if you'd like to drop a dollar in the virtual donation basket for today's readings, just click that donate button at the website. So again, thank you so much for listening today. 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.