Today's Thought - July

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July 1

Pray to God, row to shore.
-- Anonymous

The sign in the antique store showed a fisherman in a rowboat being tossed about in a storm. The message was clear: the fisherman may have great faith, but now was not the time to put away the oars and kneel in prayer - it was time to pray and row!

Sometimes we find ourselves in a storm of trouble, a sea of problems, and we want God to get us out. We may even pray, "God, get me out of this mess." But like the man in the rowboat, the way out is not just by praying to God. The way out is to pray, ask for help, and take action - do something to help ourselves.

Praying to God won't keep us sober if we don't also go to Twelve Step meetings. Praying to God to heal our relationships with others won't help unless we're willing to make amends. Health and recovery are a combination of prayer, communication with our Higher Power, and a commitment to do our part.

Today help me to pray and take action.

You are reading from the book:

Body, Mind, and Spirit by Anonymous

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July 2

Procrastination

Higher Power, it was so easy to put things off during my addiction.

I pray to remember that postponing facing up to reality is really self-pity in action. When I procrastinate about solving problems, I am only making the problems worse. Let me remember that solutions come from taking action.

I pray to stop wasting precious time.

You are reading from the book:

The 12 Step Prayer Book Volume 2 by Bill P. and Lisa D.

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July 3

Love is the ability and willingness to allow those that you care for to be what they choose for themselves, without any insistence that they satisfy you.
--Dr. Wayne Dyer

It's generally a struggle to let a child develop a new skill, particularly if it's not one we share or appreciate. It's even more difficult to watch a spouse or lover travel a new path of learning or recreation when we're not invited to share the trip. Yet assuredly, our love is only as deep and real as it is honestly supportive of others spreading their wings to discover their own directions and personal joy.

What is right for us will never be lost or taken, and that which departs, be it friend or lover, is only making way for our own next plane of growth. We must not fear letting our loved ones experience new and separate challenges. Instead, let's rejoice in the knowledge that we each have a particular calling, a unique destiny that has brought us together and will keep us together for just as long as "the big plan" calls for.

We can't keep someone's love for us when we've made them prisoners in our homes and hearts.

You are reading from the book:

Worthy of Love by Karen Casey

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July 4

Recovery sets us free.

Freedom is what recovery is all about. Not only are we free from addictive behavior, but we are free to become who we are and enjoy all that life has to offer. We may not hear bands playing and see fireworks every day, but we will know a new dimension of peace and serenity.

Although recovery does not guarantee freedom from pain and distress, it promises us greater resources for coping with trouble. With the help of abstinence and the Twelve Steps, we become free to work toward resolving our difficulties instead of escaping into false solutions.

We must remain strong and guard the freedom that comes with abstinence. Whatever threatens abstinence should be avoided: we don't want to transfer one obsession to something else, such as compulsive shopping, or addictive relationships. To remain free, we stay in touch with others who are also recovering and with the Higher Power that guides and supports us.

I will celebrate my freedom today and every day.

You are reading from the book:

Inner Harvest by Elisabeth L.

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July 5

Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
--Step Eleven of AA and Al-Anon

"... praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out" means that we ask on a daily basis to be shown the plan for that day. We also ask our Source for the power we need to carry that through. We will get a yes to both requests.

We do not ask other people to show their will for us. We ask God. Then we trust that we'll be empowered to carry God's will through.

God never, never asks us to do anything that He would not equip us to do. He never asks us to do anything we can't do. If we are to do it, we will be empowered. That's the easy part of this program. We never have to do more than we can, or anything we can't. If we want to worry and fuss we can, but we don't need to. That is our choice.

When I don't know what to do next, God does. Working this Step, one day at a time, will take us to places we could never have traveled on our own.

Today, I will focus on asking God to show me what He wants me to do. I will ask God for the power to do that; then I will go ahead and get the job done. God, help me let go of my fears about living life one day at a time. Help me trust that when life is lived simply and in trust, a beautiful mosaic called "my life" will be woven. I am being divinely led, guided, and cared for.

You are reading from the book:

The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

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July 6

My parents believed in honesty and hard work and they passed that on to me.
--Monty Cralley

Most of us can think of a number of things we can credit our parents with. For some of us there may not be as many good legacies as bad, however. But time has marched on and we can't redo a bad past. Nor does it help to continue rehashing it in our minds. Our parents simply passed on to us what they had learned. If it wasn't all good, let's hope we learned enough from it to break the pattern before we passed it on to our children.

Let's focus on the blessings and the positive experiences in our lives. While it's true that we learned something from every experience, even the ones that seemed vile at the time, the more pleasant ones helped us interact in a more hopeful manner with others. The more hope we had, the more hope we inspired in our friends, too. There was no better quality to pass on to others.

We are still passing on ideas and impressions to others. Every opinion we share, every favor we perform, every moment we intently listen to someone talk about themselves is our opportunity to pass along something positive to a person who needs us. Our work isn't done.

I will pass on something I can feel proud of today.

You are reading from the book:

Keepers of the Wisdom by Karen Casey

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July 7

He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help.
-- Abraham Lincoln

Our negative judgments of others very frequently inform us of our own shortcomings. In other words, what we dislike in others are often those things we hate about ourselves. Much better than criticizing another's abhorrent behavior is a decision to look inwardly at our own collection of traits and attitudes. Our desire to criticize, to pass judgment, offers an excellent mirror of who we truly are. And the image we see reflected can guide our movements toward becoming healthier, happy individuals.

We can feel a bit of gladness for what our negative reactions are able to teach us - but we must be willing to learn from them. How exciting to contemplate that every hateful moment actually is offering us a positive opportunity for change.

It's human to find fault, and we shouldn't be overcome with shame. However, we hinder our own personal growth every time we quickly criticize another rather than rejoicing that we've been given an additional opportunity to move closer to the person we're being called to become.

Today I'll look beyond others' faults and recognize my own.

You are reading from the book:

The Promise of a New Day by Karen Casey and Martha Vanceburg

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July 8

Limited expectations yield only limited results.
- Susan Laurson Willig

Our thoughts determine our actions, and when our thoughts are negative, our successes are few. What we hold in our mind is certain to be reflected in the day's activities. And we are capable of fueling our thoughts positively, if we choose to.

Positive self-assessment and uplifting pep talks can become habitual if our desire to live up to our potential is great enough. The expectations we privately harbor, be they small or far-reaching, will set the pace for the progress we make today, and every day.

We can greet a challenge with eager anticipation when we've grown accustomed to believing in our capability for success. First, we must expect to handle, with poise, whatever confronts us.

No one but me determines my course today. My success begins in my mind.

You are reading from the book:

The Promise of a New Day by Karen Casey and Martha Vanceburg

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July 9

Being humiliated is not the same as having humility.

We have all suffered humiliation. Perhaps a spouse ridiculed us in public or a parent's disorderly conduct shamed us in front of our friends. Perhaps a boss criticized us in front of co-workers.

However, we could have refused to let our egos be injured. Had we then the tools we have now, we could have felt compassion for the perpetrator. No healthy person heaps injury of any kind on another struggling soul. The program taught us this.

We have learned about true humility. To be humble is to surrender, to give up trying to change people or circumstances, to give up trying to force our will upon others. Humility is being quiet, being at rest, and being confident that God is present in every situation. Humility is being at peace, always.

No one can humiliate me today unless I accept that condition.

You are reading from the book:

A Life of My Own by Karen Casey

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July 10

As we think, so we become.

We can enrich our interior monologue. We can seek the company of people who inspire us with a loving approach to life. We can absorb the written thoughts of writers who encourage our positive emotions. We can decide to be cheerful and optimistic, just for today.

Whom would you rather be around - someone who chronically complains and talks about what a mess everything is, or someone who finds joy and delight in watching the antics of two squirrels in a tree? You are your constant companion. Your own company can be a pleasure or a drag, depending on the thoughts and feelings you permit to linger in your consciousness.

We take Steps Four and Five in order to sort out our thoughts, getting rid of those that depress our spirit. In Step Ten, we continue a daily mental housecleaning so that residues of resentment and discouragement are not allowed to accumulate. Then we go on to Step Eleven for an infusion of the kind of thinking that nurtures the person we want to become.

Today, I will exercise my freedom of thought.

You are reading from the book:

Inner Harvest by Elisabeth L.

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July 11

The secret of success is constancy of purpose.
--Benjamin Disraeli

In Twelve Step meetings, we don't talk about counseling, treatment centers, or non-program reading. Many of us have been helped in these ways, but we shouldn't confuse them with Twelve Step programs.

We must keep our Twelve Step programs pure. Certainly, we should use these sources if they help us, but not in our program meetings. There, we must stick to the basics that have helped addicts recover all over the world for many years. Steps, traditions, meetings, and sponsorship these things work, no matter what else is in style.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, let me be there to help an addict in need by sharing my Twelve Step program.

Action for the Day

I will help out today by being a sponsor or by calling a new group member just to say hello.



You are reading from the book:

Keep It Simple by Anonymous

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July 12

Harmony

Did you ever go to a concert? The musicians all play the same song, but each one has a different part in creating the music. Whether they're creating somber minor chords or cheerful major chords, the band is working together in harmony.

I had a difficult time with harmony when I first became introduced to it. I thought owning my power meant crashing like a cymbal wherever I went. It took a while to learn that I could own my power more effectively by harmonizing than by being a discordant note.

Harmony isn't just a value to apply in our relationships with other people. We all go through changes in our lives. At one point, we may be going through a time of discipline, keeping our nose to the grindstone. Then it may be time to play. Then we may move into a time where we have a lot of emotions to deal with, and we're moving slowly. Other times we're sailing through in high gear. Instead of expecting situations to change, we can learn to harmonize with them.

If we really aren't compatible with certain situations, it may be time to leave. But a lot of the time we can make sweet or at least interesting music by harmonizing - or by being flexible enough to meet the situation halfway.

Harmonizing is more than just a musical phrase. It's more than live and let live. It's living together. It's compatibility, being on the same page. It involves enough self-awareness to be ourselves, and enough adaptability and flexibility to fit that self into different situations. Harmonizing means opening up, listening, letting go of self-will, practicing nonresistance, and extending tolerance.

You are reading from the book:

52 Weeks of Conscious Contact by Melody Beattie

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July 13

I shall tell you a great secret, my friend. Do not wait for the last judgment, it takes place every day.
--Albert Camus

"Later." How often have we said this? This trick helps us avoid the tasks of the day. Life is full of tasks - many fun, some boring, and others hard. Can I accept the tasks my Higher Power gives me, easy or hard?

When we used alcohol or other drugs, we'd avoid tasks if they became hard for us. We believed we had more control than we really did. We started to believe we could control outcomes. What we really were doing was setting ourselves up for a great fall. We had to face the fact that when our Higher Power had given us a task, we said no, and turned away. Thus, we turned away from the guiding hand of our Higher Power.

Prayer for the Day

God, help me face You and the tasks You give me. Make me a grateful student of life.

Today's Action

Today I will talk with friends. I will tell them what tasks I'm working on.

You are reading from the book:

Keep It Simple by Anonymous

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July 14

Meditation

The first time I heard about meditation, it sounded like a foreign concept to me. I could understand prayer - that was talking to God. It made sense. But people said meditation was important too. Someone told me, "That's when you're being quiet, so God can talk to you."

Over the years, I've been exposed to different kinds of meditation. There's walking meditation, reading out of a meditation book, and meditation where we sit on the floor with our legs crossed and eyes closed while chanting om.

I still feel intimidated when other people ask me about meditation. It's one of those things I don't feel I do enough, and when I do, I have a lingering sense that I'm not doing it right. But if you ask me whether I try to spend time quieting myself, getting centered, becoming relieved of my own tiresome, worrisome, obsessive thoughts each day, the answer is absolutely yes.

As time went on, I began to study different, more formalized practices. The martial art I study, aikido, is considered a walking and moving meditation. It's also considered a spiritual martial art. Later on, I added yoga to my repertoire of meditative practices. It's a workout, but it's also spiritually-centering and includes meditation.

Sometimes when I close my eyes. I pray. Sometimes I try to focus on a meditative thought. Usually I try to focus on breathing and being as still as I can.

I'm not sure that it matters where or how we meditate, or whether we cross our legs, chant om, or read an idea out of a book. The important idea with meditation is this: Be still so we can hear God.

You are reading from the book:

52 Weeks of Conscious Contact by Melody Beattie

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July 15

God insists that we ask, not because He needs to know our situation, but because we need the spiritual discipline of asking.
-- Catherine Marshall

An omniscient God must know what we desire before we ask. God knows that what we really need most is reliance on God. And how do we develop reliance? Like most other things, by practicing.

If it weren't for the need to remind us daily or hourly that all power flows from our Creator, we could just say a quick prayer at the beginning of each week, or each year, and be done with it. Surely God could fill our requests a year ahead of time. But getting our wishes granted isn't the purpose of prayer. Getting to know God is the purpose.

I need to be in touch with my Creator every hour of the day.

You are reading from the book:

In God's Care by Karen Casey