Latest / Sober Readings / A Two-Way Street
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Good morning, it's Thursday, june twenty fifth. My name is Scott and this is Sober Readings. Let's begin 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 the wisdom to know the difference. Today's reading from Daily Reflections, a two way street. If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions. But in no case does he render us white as snow and keep us that way without our cooperation. And that's from the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 65. When I prayed, I used to omit a lot of things for which I needed to be forgiven. I thought that if I didn't mention these things to God, he would never know about them. I did not know. That if I had just forgiven myself for some of my past deeds, God would forgive me also. I was also taught to prepare for the journey through life, never realizing until I came to AA, when I honestly became willing to be taught forgiveness and forgiving, that life itself is the journey. The journey of life is a very happy one, as long as I am willing to accept change and responsibility. Today's reading from 24 Hours. June 25, AA Thought for the Day. One of the most encouraging facts of life is that your weakness can become your greatest asset. Kites and airplanes rise against the wind. In climbing up a high mountain, we need the stony crags and rough places to aid in our climb. So your weakness can become an asset if you will face it, examine it, and trace it to its origin. Set it in the very center of your mind. No weakness, such as drinking, ever turned into an asset until it was first fairly faced. So ask yourself, Am I making my weakness my greatest asset? The meditation for the day. When men seek to worship God, they think of the great universe that God rules over, of creation, of mighty law and order throughout the universe. Then men feel the awe that precedes worship. I too must feel awe, feel the desire to worship God in wondering amazement. My mind is in a box of space and time, and it is so made that I cannot conceive of what is beyond space or time, the limitless and the eternal. But I know that there must be something beyond space and time, and that something must be the limitless and eternal power behind the universe. I also know that I can experience that power in my life. Today's prayer for the day. I pray that I may accept the limitless and eternal spirit. I pray that it may express itself in my life. Today's Daily Meditation from Touchstones Some people greet the morning with a smile, but it's more natural to protest its presence with sleepy sulkiness. Who asks you to come again? we feel like saying to it, as if it were a most unwelcome guest. Brendan Francis We begin with the truth and build on the firm foundation it provides. We often hear we should have a positive attitude and we should be grateful for the new day. Perhaps some days we feel enthusiasm, and it's wonderful when we do. But we don't need to turn it into a requirement because shoulds tend to keep us out of touch with our honest feelings. All feelings are acceptable. Whatever they are, the entire range of color and intensity of feelings comes from our creator. Our task is dealing with them and responding to them. We begin by acknowledging them as they are. We do not have license to do whatever we feel like doing, only to feel what we feel. This point of honesty is a solid stepping stone to grow from. We often find we feel different as soon as we admit our feelings. Today I will admit my true feelings and accept them as stepping stones. And finally today, a reading from As Bill Sees It. We're gonna read from page 303. Loving Advisors. Had I not been blessed with wise and loving advisors, I might have cracked up long ago. A doctor once saved me from death by alcoholism because he obliged me to face up to the deadliness of that malady. Another doctor, a psychiatrist, later on helped me save my sanity because he led me to ferret out some of my deep lying defects. From a clergyman I acquired the truthful principles by which we AAs now try to live. But these precious friends did far more than supply me with their professional skills. I learned that I could go to them with any problem whatever. Their wisdom and their integrity were mine for the asking. Many of my dearest AA friends have stood with me in exactly this same relation. Oftentimes they could help where others could not, simply because they were AAs. And that was in an article in the Grapevine in August of 1961. And that's it for today's episode of Sober Readings. If you have any thoughts and comments on today's episode, you can send them to me at soberreadingswithscott at gmail.com. Also, if you'd like to drop a dollar in the virtual donation basket for today's episode, just go to my website, soberreadings.com, and click the donate button. So thank you so much for listening today. 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.