Latest / Sober Readings / Conforming To The AA Way
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Sober Readings for Saturday, the twenty-seventh of June. 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 wisdom to know the difference. Today's reading from Daily Reflections Conforming to the AA Way. We obey AA's steps and traditions because we really want them for ourselves. It is no longer a question of good or evil. We conform because we genuinely want to conform. Such is our process of growth in unity and function. Such is the evidence of God's grace and love among us. And that's on page one hundred six of AA Comes of Age. It is fun to watch myself grow in AA. I fought conformity to AA principles from the moment I entered, but I learned from the pain of my belligerence that in choosing to live the AA way of life, I opened myself to God's grace and love. Then I began to know the full meaning of being a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. From the book twenty four hours, june twenty seventh, AA Thought for the Day. If you can take your troubles as they come, if you can maintain your calm and composure amid pressing duties and unending engagements, if you can rise above the distressing and disturbing circumstances in which you are set down, you have discovered a priceless secret of daily living. Even if you are forced to go through life weighed down by some unescapable misfortune or handicap, And yet live each day as it comes with poise and peace of mind, you have succeeded where most people have failed. You have wrought a greater achievement than a person who rules a nation. Have I achieved poise and peace of mind? Today's meditation for the day. Take a blessing with you wherever you go. You have been blessed, so bless others. Such stores of blessings are awaiting you in the months and years that lie ahead. Pass on your blessings. Blessing can and does go around the world, passed on from one person to another. Shed a little blessing in the heart of one person. That person is cheered to pass it on, and so God's vitalizing, joy giving message travels on. Be a transmitter of God's blessings. The prayer for the day. I pray that I may pass on my blessings. I pray that they may flow into the lives of others. Today's daily meditation from Touchstones. The tremor of awe is the best in man. And that's a quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goth. We have a spiritual experience in knowing and being touched by something much larger than us, something beyond what we understand, something of mysterious dimensions. It can happen as we stand on the banks of an ageless river, listen to beautiful music. Read scripture or say a prayer with a friend. When we set aside defiance, willfulness, and our demands to subdue whatever we meet, we become receptive to a larger reality. The experience of awe brings out the best in a man because it instills a spirit of respect and gratitude. It inspires humility and expands our minds into realms we cannot express into words. The sense of awe is a kind of reverence. After we learn where our personal awe is inspired, we can return to it again and again. As we feel it more, we become more open to it in the mundane parts of our daily lives. Today, we might feel the spirit in the visit of a wild bird on a branch, the spontaneous hi from a small child, or the stillness before prayer at the dinner table. Today, I will look for moments of awe in my life. And the final reading for today is from As Bill Sees It, page three zero four. Single purpose. There are those who predict that AA may well become a new spearhead for a spiritual awakening throughout the world. When our friends say these things, they are both generous and sincere. But we of AA must reflect that such a tribute and such a prophecy could well prove to be a heady drink for most of us. That is, if we really came to believe this to be the real purpose of AA, and if we commenced to behave accordingly. Our society, therefore, will prudently cleave to its single purpose, the carrying of the message to the alcoholic who still suffers. Let us resist the proud assumption that since God has enabled us to do well in one area, we are destined to be a channel of saving grace for everybody. And that is from AA comes of age page two hundred thirty two. And that's gonna do it for today's readings. Thanks for listening. Hey, before I close, I just wanted to ask you, what did you think of that last line in Daily Reflections? It says, Then I began to know the full meaning of being a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. What does that mean to you? What does it mean to become a full member of Alcoholics Anonymous? I'll explain real quick what it means to me. Being a member of AA is being a part of something bigger than myself. It's being a part of a fellowship, a way of life. It's a commitment to not only sobriety, but to being a better person just for today. It's a commitment to doing my best to help another alcoholic today. And that could be something as simple as a text or a phone call, telling another member to have a great day, to let them know I'm thinking of them and care about their sobriety. It could mean sharing openly and honestly in a meeting, not just passing when it's my turn. Being a member of AA is something I'm proud of. Because AA and the people in the fellowship, my friends, are helping me to be a better version of myself one day at a time. And I'm sure I could go on for another hour about what I get out of not only sobriety, but being a member of AA. But I'd love to hear from you. So send me an email at soberreadings with Scott at gmail.com and tell me what it means to you to be a member of AA. Or just what does sobriety mean? to you what do you get out of being sober today? And so again that email is sober readings with Scott at gmail.com. Also if you'd like to drop a dollar in the virtual donation basket for today's readings, just go to my website soberreadings.com and click the donate button. So again, thanks 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.