Latest / Sober Readings / Turning It Over
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Good morning, welcome back to Sober Readings. Today is Sunday, March the 8th. Today's reading from Daily Reflections, Turning It Over. Every man and woman who has joined AA and intends to stick has, without realizing it, made a beginning on step three. Isn't it true that in all matters touching upon alcohol, each of them has decided to turn his or her life over to the care, protection, and guidance of alcoholics anonymous? Any willing newcomer feels sure AA is the only safe harbor for the foundering vessel he has become. Now if this is not turning one's will and life over to a newfound providence, then what is? That's from the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 35. Submission to God was the first step to my recovery. I believe our fellowship seeks a spirituality open to a new kinship with God. As I exert myself to follow the path of the steps, I sense a freedom that gives me the ability to think for myself. My addiction confined me without any release and hindered my ability to be released from my self-confinement, but AA assures me of a way to go forward. Mutual sharing Concern and caring for others is our natural gift to each other, and mine is strengthened as my attitude toward God changes. I learned to submit to God's will in my life, to have self-respect, and to keep both of these attitudes by giving away what I receive. Today's reading from 24 Hours, The AA Thought for the Day. We must go to AA meetings regularly. We must learn to think differently. We must change from alcoholic thinking to sober thinking. We must re-educate our minds. We must try to help other alcoholics. We must cooperate with God by spending at least as much time and energy on the AA program as we did on drinking. We must follow the AA program to the best of our ability. So ask yourself today, have I turned my alcoholic problem over to God and am I cooperating? The meditation for the day. The joy of true fellowship shall be mine in full measure. I will revel in the joy of real fellowship. There will come back a wonderful joy if I share in fellowship now. Fellowship among spiritually minded people is the embodiment of God's purpose for this world. To realize this will bring me a new life joy. If I share in mankind's joy and travail, a great blessing will be mine. I can truly live a life not of earth, but a heaven life here and now. The prayer for the day. I pray that I may be helped and healed by true spiritual fellowship. I pray that I may sense his presence in spiritual fellowship with his children. And finally today, a reading from As Bill Sees It. Today we're reading from page 255. Wider understanding. To reach more alcoholics, understanding of AA and public goodwill towards AA must go on growing everywhere. We need to be on still better terms with medicine, religion, employers, governments, courts, prisons, mental hospitals, and all enterprises in the alcoholism field. We need the increasing goodwill of editors, writers, television, and radio channels. These publicity outlets need to be open even wider. That's from the 12 concepts page 51. Nothing matters more to AA's future welfare than the manner in which we use the colossus of modern communication. Used unselfishly and well, it can produce results surpassing our present imagination. Should we handle this great instrument badly, we shall be shattered by the ego manifestations of our own people. Against this peril, AA members' anonymity before the general public is our shield and our buckler. That was from an article in The Grapevine dated November of 1960. It was brought to my attention recently that if you're following the show, you might not be seeing new episodes. And the reason for that is I moved my podcast to a new platform. So what you'll need to do if you're not seeing new episodes in your feed is go to the show, unfollow the show, and then click follow again. And that'll follow from my new platform. So I apologize if you've had some issues getting the new shows into your feed. If you have any issues with this or just need some help, you can send me an email at soberreadingswithscott at gmail.com or you can go to my website soberreadings.com and fill out the form. While you're at the website, you'd like to drop a dollar in the donation basket for today's readings, click the donate button. So again, thanks for listening everyone. 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.