Latest / Sober Readings / I Am An Instrument
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Welcome back to Sober Readings. Today is Thursday, the ninth of July. 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, I am an instrument. Humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings. And that's a line from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 70. The subject of humility is a difficult one. Humility is not thinking less of myself than I ought to. It is acknowledging that I do certain things well. It is accepting a compliment graciously. God can only do for me what he can do through me. Humility is the result of knowing that God is the doer, not me. In the light of this awareness, how can I take pride in my accomplishments? I am an instrument and any work I seem to be doing is being done by God through me. I ask God on a daily basis to remove my shortcomings in order that I may more freely go about my AA business of love and service. From twenty four hours july ninth AA Thought for the Day Disillusionment and spiritual confusion mark our age. Many of us have cast aside old ideas without acquiring new ones. Many men and women are creeping through life on their hands and knees merely because they refuse to rely on any power but themselves. Many of them feel that they are being brave and independent and But actually they are only courting disaster. Anxiety and the inferiority complex have become the greatest of all modern plagues. In AA, we have the answer to these ills. So ask yourself today, have I ceased to rely on myself only? The meditation for the day. Disillusionment and doubt spoil life. The doubting ones are the disillusioned ones. When you are in doubt, you are on the fence. You are not going anywhere. Doubt poisons all action. Well, I don't know. So you don't do anything. You should meet life with a yes and affirmative attitude. There is good in the world, and we can follow that good. There is power available to help us to do the right thing. Therefore, we will accept that power. There are miracles of change in people's lives. Therefore we will accept those miracles as evidence of God's power. And today's prayer for the day. I pray that I will not be paralyzed by doubt. I pray that I may go along on the venture of faith. Today's meditation from Touchstone. The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. And that's a quote from Herbert Spencer. We sometimes wish we could protect friends or loved ones from the consequences of their actions. We'd like to pick up the pieces after they've made a mess of their lives, or we fail to look at the dark side of someone's motives because we want to see only the best. Perhaps it is our controlling willfulness that tries to make things into what we want rather than accepts things as they really are. In our masculine recovery, it is A deeper love allows us to have a respectful distance from others. When we truly care about someone, we don't snatch them out of their learning experience. When we allow our loved ones and friends to confront the natural consequences of their own actions, they learn and grow just as we do. We can be with a friend, but we are no one's higher power. Today, I will be respectful of others by letting them walk their path while I walk my path. And for today's final reading, we're gonna go back to AA Comes of Age. This time we're going to chapter three. Chapter three is called Four O'Clock Sunday Afternoon. And it starts off by saying, The following section portrays the high points of the St. Louis Convention and the culmination of twenty years of Alcoholics Anonymous. And I'll begin reading on page two two four. In AA, there is still another form of association, a form of which the world is today in great doubt. It has its virtues, nevertheless, especially for us of Alcoholics Anonymous. I am speaking of dictatorship. In AA we have two dictators, and we profit and grow through both. One is John Barleycorn, who was never very far from the elbow of each of us. The other is the father of lights, who Who presides over all men. God is saying to us, Learn my will and do it. And John Barleycorn is saying to each of us, You had better do God's will, or I will kill you. Perhaps it is something new for a society to borrow from so many forms of human association. But clearly enough, we had borrowed from anarchy, democracy, the republic, the hierarchy, and dictatorship. We hope that we have avoided the liabilities of each, and we especially hope that we have inherited most of the assets of each. I pray with you that the resolution which we are about to propose is God's will for us. I shall now offer it to you and ask for a voice vote. If you agree, if your conscience says, This is right to the best of my knowledge and belief, then your General Service Conference and its hierarchy of service at the center of the will conform your will for all the long future of Alcoholics Anonymous. This is the resolution. We, the members of the Twentieth Anniversary Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous, here assembled at St. Louis in July of the year 1955, declare our belief that our fellowship has now come of age and is entirely ready to assume full and permanent possession of the three legacies of AA inheritance. The legacies of recovery, Unity and service. We believe that the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous, as created in nineteen fifty one by our co-founders, Dr. Bob S. and Bill W. And authorized by trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation, has now become entirely capable of assuming the guardianship of AA's twelve traditions and of taking over full guidance and control of the world's service of our society. As provided in the third legacy manual of World Service, recently revised by our surviving co-founder Bill W and the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous. We have also heard with approval Bill W's proposal that AA's General Service Conference should now become the permanent successor to the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, inheriting from them all their former duties and special responsibilities. Thus avoiding in future time all possible strivings for individual prestige or personal power, and also providing our society with the means of functioning on a permanent basis. Be it therefore resolved that the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous should become, as of this date, july third, nineteen fifty five, the guardian of the traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, the perpetuator of the world services of our society, the voice of the group conscience of our entire fellowship, and the sole successors to its co founders, Dr. Bob and Bill, as it is understood. That neither the twelve traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous nor the warranties of Article twelve of the Conference Charter shall ever be changed or amended by the General Service Conference, except by first asking the consent of the registered AA groups of the world. These groups shall be suitably notified of any proposal for change and shall be allowed no less than six months for consideration thereof. And before any such conference action can be taken, There must first be received in writing, within the time allotted, the consent of at least three quarters of all those registered groups who respond to such a proposal. And we further understand that as provided in Article 12 of the Conference Charter, the Conference binds itself to the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous by the following means. That in all its proceedings, the General Service Conference shall observe the spirit of the AA tradition, taking great care that the conference never becomes the seat of perilous wealth or power, that sufficient operating funds plus an ample reserve be its prudent financial principle, that none of the conference members shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified authority over any of the others. That all important decisions by be reached by discussion, vote, and whenever possible By substantial anonymity, that no conference action ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy, that though the conference may act in the service of Alcoholics Anonymous and may traditionally direct its world services, it shall never enact laws or regulations binding on AA as a whole, or upon any AA group or upon any member thereof, nor shall it perform any other such acts of government as And that like the S Society of Alcoholics Anonymous, which it serves, the Conference itself will always remain democratic in thought and action. And that was a resolution read to the members of the Conference, and it authorized the General Service Conference to act for Alcoholics Anonymous, basically creating governance within the society. And I chose this reading tonight because I think it's important to know the history of Alcoholics Anonymous. And the traditions. And Tradition 9 says AA as such ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve. And I hope you didn't find that reading too boring. I just find it interesting reading the history of Alcoholics Anonymous. And so I'd love to hear your thoughts and your comments on that reading and your requests if you would like me to read any other literature from Alcoholics Anonymous or sobriety in general. And so that's gonna do it for today's episode of Sober Readings. Thank you so much for listening. If you'd like to be a guest reader on the show, I would love to have you. Just send me an email at sober readingswithscott at gmail.com. And if you'd like to drop a dollar in the virtual donation basket for today's readings, I would appreciate that as well. You can go to my website, soberreadings.com, and click the donate button. So again, thank you so much for listening. 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.