Latest / Sober Readings / True Tolerance
Transcript
- 10 22Reading: Welcome back to Sober Readings, everyone. Thanks for joining me today. It is Thursday, the 22nd of October. Today we're going to take a look at the readings from Daily Reflections 24 Hours a day and Touchstones, a book of daily meditations. Before we get to that, 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, True Tolerance, and I'll skip right to the bottom reading on this. The thought occurred to me that all people are emotionally ill to some extent. How could we not be? Who among us is spiritually perfect? Who among us is physically perfect? How could any of us be emotionally perfect? Therefore, what else are we to do but bear with one another? And treat each other as we would be treated in similar circumstances. That is what love really is. And I skipped to that bottom portion of today's reading because it really got to the point, and what it really reminded me of today is that in sobriety it's really important to treat others with respect, kindness, and compassion, even when they don't treat me the same way. The truth is we're all struggling with something. To some extent, we're all dealing with spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical challenges, and many of those struggling aren't visible to the people around us. I don't always know what someone else is going through, what pain they're carrying, or what experiences have shaped the person they are today. Just as I hope others will show me patience and understanding when I'm struggling, I need to be willing to extend that same grace to them. The twelve steps teach me to look beyond another person's behavior. And recognize their humanity rather than immediately judging or condemning them. I don't have to agree with someone's actions or allow myself to be mistreated, but I can still choose compassion over resentment and understanding over judgment. After all, I'm far from perfect myself, and remembering that helps me practice the humility, tolerance, and love that are so important to my recovery. And I heard someone say in sobriety one time. Be kind to people that you meet today because you never know what they're going through. Today's reading from twenty four hours The AA Thought for the Day And before I read this first line I want to go back to yesterday's AA Thought for the Day, and one of the lines is first I understand myself more than I ever did before. And then the first line in today's reading Second, I am content to face the rest of my life without alcohol. I have surrendered as gracefully as possible to the inevitable. I hope I have no more reservations. I hope that nothing can happen to me now that would justify my taking a drink. No death of a dear one, no great calamity in any area of my life should justify me in drinking. And I'll skip to the last sentence here. I will always be safe unless I take that first drink. And so I ask myself, am I fully resigned to this fact? In the meditation for the day, Day by day we should slowly build up an unshakable faith in a higher power, and in that power's ability to give us all the help we need. By having these quiet times each morning, we start each day with a renewing of our faith until it becomes almost a part of us and is a strong habit. And in today's prayer for the day, I'm praying that I may come at last to an unshakable faith. And the first part of this reading, the AA Thought for the Day. reminds me of the no matter what club. So early in sobriety I heard about the no matter what club, and to me, that means making a commitment to my sobriety that no matter what happens in my life, I will not pick up a drink. And there's a line in this first reading that I don't really agree with. It says, I hope that nothing can happen to me now that would justify me taking a drink. Hope alone won't keep me sober when life gets difficult. I need to actively work my program maintain my spiritual condition, and build a foundation and recovery strong enough to face whatever life throws at me. No matter how bad my days get, how angry or frustrated I become, how much pain I'm experiencing, or how unfair life may seem, drinking can't be an option. I've learned from personal experience that picking up a drink doesn't solve a single one of my problems. In fact it usually makes them much worse. And creates a whole new set of problems I never saw coming. Being a part of the no matter what club doesn't mean life will always be easy or that I won't struggle. It means that when those struggles come, I have a program, a higher power, and a fellowship of people I can turn to instead of alcohol. But those things can only help me if I'm willing to use them, especially when life is going well and I start believing I don't need them as much. I don't have to figure everything out today. And I don't have to know what tomorrow's gonna bring. I just have to do the work necessary to protect my sobriety today, so that no matter what happens, I don't have to drink over it. So let's get to today's final reading, which is from Touchstones. It's a book of daily meditations. A holier than thou attitude within us is often a sign of unconscious dishonesty. Who hasn't had the feeling of being superior to the angry outburst or the near slip of another man? And then found himself in the very same spot the next day. What we least want to admit about ourselves is what we are most likely to feel self-righteous about. Since our blind spots and self-deception leave us vulnerable to returning to our old behaviors, we must attack them vigorously. The man we feel most self-righteous toward may be the man we could learn from the most. When we stop focusing on him, we may notice he touches our most sensitive area. Last line in today's reading says, I will use my self righteous feelings to point me to my own blind spots. So one of the dangers I need to watch out for in sobriety is developing a self-righteous attitude, believing that because I'm sober, working a program or doing certain things right, I'm somehow better than someone else. The moment I start looking down on another person, I'm allowing ego and pride to get in the way of the humility that are essential for my sobriety. I've learned that some of the greatest lessons in life can come from the very people I think I have nothing to learn from. Someone who's struggling, making mistakes, or living a life I don't agree with may have something valuable to teach me about patience, compassion, acceptance, or even my own character defects. And sometimes the things that bother me most about another person are the very things I need to take a closer look at in myself. The twelve steps remind me that I'm no better and no worse than anyone else. We're all imperfect human beings trying to find our way, and the moment I convince myself that I have all the answers is probably the moment I need to start listening a little more and talking a little less. And so right now I'll take that advice and end today's episode of Sober Readings. Thank you so much for listening today. I hope you heard something. I hope maybe I said something that stays with you and helps you today. If you'd like to drop a dollar in today's virtual donation basket, you can go to my website, soberreadings.com, go to the support page, and look for the button that says drop a dollar in the basket. And if something you heard today made you think of someone, share this episode with them and help me pass the message. Because you never know who needs to hear these words today. So 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 just for today. Don't drink, go to a meeting, and keep coming back. Have a great day, everyone, and as my friend Larry says, best day ever.