Latest / Sober Readings / Self-Examination
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- Scott Hayes: Welcome to Sober Readings, today is the 20th of April, is Monday, happy Monday everyone. Let's begin 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. Alright, and now today's reading from Daily Reflections, April 20th. Self-Examination. We ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest, or self-seeking motives. That's a line from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, page 86. When said sincerely, this prayer teaches me to be truly unselfish and humble, for even in doing good deeds I often used to seek approval and glory for myself. By examining my motives and all that I do, I can be of service to God and others, helping them do what they want to do. When I put God in charge of my thinking, much needless worry is eliminated and I believe He guides me throughout the day. When I eliminate thoughts of self-pity, dishonesty, and self-centeredness as soon as they enter my mind, I find peace with God, my neighbor, and myself. Today's reading from 24 Hours. April 20, AA Thought for the Day. The satisfaction you get out of living a sober life is made up of a lot of little things, but they add up to a satisfactory and happy life. You take out of life what you put into it. So I'd say to people coming into ⁓ AA, don't worry about what life will be like without liquor. Just stick along and a lot of good things will happen to you. And you'll have that feeling of quiet satisfaction and peace and serenity and gratitude for the grace of God. So ask yourself, is my life becoming really worth living? The Meditation for the Day. are two paths, one up and one down. We have been given free will to choose either path. We are captains of our souls to this extent only. We can choose the good or the bad. Once we have chosen the wrong path, we go down and down, eventually to death. But if we choose the right path, we go up and up until we come to the resurrection day. On the wrong path we have no power for good because we do not choose to ask for it. But on the right path we are on the side of good and we have all the power of God's Spirit behind us. Today's prayer for the day. I pray that I may be in the stream of goodness. I pray that I may be on the right side. on the side of all good in the universe. And for today's final reading, we'll go to As Bill Sees It, page 275. Recovery through giving. For a new prospect, outline the program of action explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past, and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. It is important for him to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him plays a vital part in your own recovery. Actually, he may be helping you more than you are helping him. Make it plain that he is under no obligation to you. That's from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, page 94. In the first six months of my own sobriety, I worked hard with many alcoholics. Not a one responded. Yet this work kept me sober. It wasn't a question of those alcoholics giving me anything. My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive. And that is from an article written in the grapevine from January of 1958. Well that's it for today's episode of Sober Readings, thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the show, please hit that like button and share this episode with someone you think might need it, drop a comment, and let me know what you thought. And also follow the show or subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. And if you'd like to be a guest reader on my show, please send me an email at soberreadingswithscott at gmail.com and we can make it happen. Also, if you'd like to drop a dollar in the virtual donation basket for today's reading, Just go to soberreadings.com and click the donate button. So again, thank you so much for listening, 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.