Daily Recovery Readings - January 19

[bluidkiti]

God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
and Wisdom to know the difference.
Thy will, not mine, be done.

January 19

Daily Reflections

ROUND-THE-CLOCK FAITH

Faith has to work twenty-four hours a day in and through
us, or we perish.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.16

The essence of my spiritually, and my sobriety, rests
on a round-the-clock faith in a Higher Power. I need to
remember and rely on the God of my understanding as I
pursue all of my daily activities. How comforting for
me is the concept that God works in and through people.
As I pause in my day, do I recall specific concrete
examples of God's presence? Am I amazed and uplifted by
the number of times this power is evident? I am
overwhelmed with gratitude for my God's presence in my
life of recovery. Without this omnipotent force in my
every activity, I would again fall into the depths of
my disease - and death.

************************************************** *********

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

On the foundation of sobriety, we can build a life of
honesty, unselfishness, faith in God, and love of our
fellow human beings. We'll never fully reach these goals, but
the adventure of building that kind of life is so much better
than the merry-go-round of our old drinking life that
there's no comparison. We come into A.A. to get sober,
but if we stay long enough we learn a new way of living.
We become honest with ourselves and with other people.
We learn to think more about others and less about
ourselves. And we learn to rely on the constant help of
a Higher Power. Am I living the way of honesty, unselfishness,
and faith?

Meditation For The Day

I believe that God had already seen my heart's needs
before I cried to Him, before I was conscious of those
needs myself. I believe that God was already preparing the
answer. God does not have to be petitioned with sighs and
tears and much speaking, before he reluctantly looses the
desired help. He has already anticipated my every want and
need. I will try to see this, as His plans unfold in my
life.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may understand my real wants and needs. I
pray that my understanding of those needs and wants may
help to bring the answer to them.

************************************************** *********

As Bill Sees It

The Wine Of Success, p. 19

Disagreeable or unexpected problems are not the only ones that call for
self-control. We must be quite as careful when we begin to achieve
some measure of importance and material success. For no people have
ever loved personal triumphs more than we have loved them; we drank
of success as of a wine which could never fail to make us feel elated.
Blinded by prideful self-confidence, we were apt to play the big shot.

Now that we're in A.A. and sober, winning back the esteem of our
friends and business associates, we find that we still need to exercise
special vigilance. As an insurance against the dangers of big-shot-ism,
we can often check ourselves by remembering that we are today sober
only by the grace of God and that any success we may be having is far
more His success than ours.

12 & 12, pp. 91-92

************************************************** *********

Walk In Dry Places

Willpower Isn't the Power_____Power
We almost universally agree that willpower simply does not work as a direct force in overcoming alcoholism. The alcoholic who believes that a strong will and determination bring sobriety is probably headed for disaster.
In the same way, willpower is ineffective in dealing with a number of personal problems. In fact, the mustering of willpower seems to strengthen the problems or cuase them to take other forms. We know that we are using willpower on problems when there is a great deal of tension and anxiety in letting our Higher Power handle matters in a way that brings contentment and satisfaction. When excessive will is involved, we usually suppress feelings that ought to be expressed in positive ways.
The solution is not to fight problems in ourselves or in the outer world. By turning all matters over to the Higher Will, we will find the best way to deal with the evils within ourselves and with the opposition in our world. "Self-will run riot" was a problem in drinking, and it can be equality destructive in sobriety. Our will should be joined with the Higher Will for true success in living.
I will rely on my Higher power as I go through the day. God can do the many things I cannot do for myself.

************************************************** *********

Keep It Simple

Study sickness when you are well.---Thomas Fuller
Now is the time to learn about our sickness--chemical dependency. It is a chronic illness. That means it never goes away. We have to live with it the best we can. Luckily, we can live with it--very well! Our program of recovery is so simple, and it feels so good, that we think we'll never give it up. But we can't take our recovery for granted. Our disease is "cunning, baffling, and powerful." The more we know about it, the less we'll let it fool us. Some days we may find we're headed toward a slip. We must learn to recognize the first trouble signs in ourselves so we can get help to stay sober.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, my addiction is "cunning, baffling, and powerful." Don't let me use alcohol or others drugs again. Thank you for my sobriety today.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll learn my warning signs: I'll list ten old thoughts, feelings, and actions that were part of my illness. I'll share this with my sponsor.

************************************************** *********

Each Day a New Beginning

The especial genius of women, I believe to be electrical in movement, intuitive in function, spiritual in tendency. --Margaret Fuller
We are women, and we are moving, together and alone. We are moving into new images of ourselves. There is a healing power that comes from moving, from sharing one's ideas and changing one's self. And it is by trusting ourselves and trusting others that we bring harmony, thoughtfulness, and courage to all our actions.
Life holds many possibilities, and we are able to realize them when we risk changing ourselves through taking action. Those of us struggling to recover are taking action; we are changing ourselves. And as we listen to and support one another, we encourage the necessary changes in our sisters. As one is healed, we are all healed.
Today holds a special promise for me. I can be in harmony. I can share with others. My courage will strengthen others, and others will strengthen me.

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

Renewing my resolve, I tried again. Some time passed, and confidence began to be replaced by cocksureness. I could laugh at the gin mills. Now I had what it takes! One day I walked into a cafe to telephone. In no time I was beating on the bar asking myself how it happened. As the whisky rose to my head I told myself I would manage better next time, but I might as well get good and drunk then. And I did.

pp. 5-6

************************************************** *********

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition Stories

It Might Have Been Worse

Alcohol was a looming cloud in this banker's bright sky. With rare foresight he realized it could become a tornado.

I was told that I must want my sobriety for my own sake, and I am convinced this is true. There may be many reasons that bring one to A.A. for the first time, but the lasting one must be to want sobriety and the A.A. way of living for oneself.

pp. 354-355

************************************************** *********

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Eight - "Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all."

Whenever our pencil falters, we can fortify and cheer ourselves by remembering what A.A. experience in this Step has meant to others. It is the beginning of the end of isolation from our fellows and from God.

p. 82

************************************************** *********

Knowing is not enough; We must Apply. Willing is not enough; We must Do. --Goethe

I shall stay in this 24 hours, and leave tomorrows burdens, cares, and worries, in Gods hands. --Shelley

It isn't enough to draw near to the light. Absorb it into you. Let it charge you and change you with its energy and its power. Healing is all around you. Wherever you are, whatever your resources, healing, energy, and joy are there. --Melody Beattie

Speaking without thinking is shooting without aiming. -- French Proverb

Three things that become more precious with age are old wood to burn, old books to read, and old friends to enjoy.

"We never know the worth of water till the well is dry." --English proverb

We in AA don't carry the alcoholic; we carry the message.

We are not living just to be sober; we are living to learn, to serve, and to love.

Don't mess up an amends with an excuse.

The First Step identifies the problem. The remaining eleven Steps are the solution.

S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem, Sober.

************************************************** *********

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

EQUALITY

"Treat all men alike. Give them all
the same laws. Give them all an
even chance to live and grow."
-- Chief Joseph

Today it is important for me to remember that I am not the only human
being in this universe; I need to respect and be considerate of others.
Spirituality requires that I treat all people with dignity and respect
because they carry something of God within them --- the image of God
is with all men. In this way I show and give respect to self.

As an alcoholic I was selfish and demanding, wanting my way all the
time. Sobriety teaches me that "the way" must include others; my
fellow men are part of my life and journey. I cannot live in isolation and
be sober.

O Spirit of the World, teach me to respect all men as a service to
myself.

************************************************** *********

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I Corinthians 15:58

How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him. Psalm 147:1

"However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all." Ecclesiastes 11:8

************************************************** *********

Daily Inspiration

People should be able to look at us and see that we are different. Lord, may I be an example of Your love and learn to rely on You at all times.

Nothing is ever quite as bad as it seems. Call on God and then practice expectancy and optimism and things will turn out better than you expect. Lord, thank You for tomorrow.

************************************************** *********

NA Just For Today

Making Mountains Into Molehills

" When we stop living in the here and now, our problems become magnified unreasonably."
Basic Text, p. 96

Some of us seem to make mountains out of molehills with our problems. Even those of us who've found some measure of serenity have probably blown a problem far out of proportion at some time in our recovery-and if we haven't done so yet, we probably will before long!

When we find ourselves obsessed with a complication in our lives, we will do well to sharply remind ourselves of all that is going right. Perhaps we're afraid we won't be able to pay our bills for the month. Instead of sitting at the calculator, adding our financial liabilities over and over, we can take stock of our efforts to reduce expenses. Following this mini-inventory, we continue with the task at hand and remind ourselves that as long as we are doing the footwork, a loving Higher Power will care for our lives.

Mountain-sized problems happen sometimes, but we don't need to create them. Trust in a loving God of our understanding will put most of our problems in their proper perspective. We no longer need to create chaos to feel excited about our lives. Our recovery gives us countless real-life opportunities for excitement and drama.

Just for today: I will take a realistic look at my problems and see that most of them are minor. I will leave them that way and enjoy my recovery. pg. 19

************************************************** *********

You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. --Chinese proverb
Even the strongest, most loving families always have room for growth. There is no such thing as a "perfect" family. If our family is far from perfect, that's okay. It only matters that we are working at getting better. Often, runners will say they can remember many days when they just did not feel like running; however, once they started, they felt more energy and were easily able to run the distance they had set for that day.
Whatever we need to do, we can do in small acts--a chore done without being asked, a helping hand with the dishes, a soft word, a surprise gift for no reason. These are small things, easily done. Love is made of small things; what is large is the love with which they are accomplished.
When we begin to work on our relationship with our family, we will feel the new energy, and quickly we will find ourselves making progress.
What is the first thing I can do today to improve my relationship with my family?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
Self-realization is not a matter of withdrawal from a corrupt world or narcissistic contemplation of oneself. An individual becomes a person by enjoying the world and contributing to it. --Francine Klagsbrun
After we admitted our self-destructive patterns and gave them up, there were many days when we said, "Now what? Is that all there is? I need some answers. How should I live? How can I feel whole? How can I feel like a real person?" These questions may feel too painful to answer. These are among the first spiritual questions we encounter in recovery, and we must not hide or escape from them. They are valuable to us, and we need to follow their urgings.
We are asking these questions as if they were new and unique. But through the centuries many people have asked them too. They found answers we can learn from. They tell us to get engaged with life, take time for reflection, learn to enjoy it where we can, and try to make a contribution.
Today, I will listen to my questions and doubts as urgings from my Higher Power, pushing me to grow. I will be involved in living.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
The especial genius of women, I believe to be electrical in movement, intuitive in function, spiritual in tendency. --Margaret Fuller
We are women, and we are moving, together and alone. We are moving into new images of ourselves. There is a healing power that comes from moving, from sharing one's ideas and changing one's self. And it is by trusting ourselves and trusting others that we bring harmony, thoughtfulness, and courage to all our actions.
Life holds many possibilities, and we are able to realize them when we risk changing ourselves through taking action. Those of us struggling to recover are taking action; we are changing ourselves. And as we listen to and support one another, we encourage the necessary changes in our sisters. As one is healed, we are all healed.
Today holds a special promise for me. I can be in harmony. I can share with others. My courage will strengthen others, and others will strengthen me.


You are reading from the book The Language Of Letting Go.
Owning Our Power
There is one feeling we need to pay particular attention to in recovery: feeling victimized. We do not need to become comfortable with that feeling.
How do we feel when we've been victimized? Helpless. Rageful. Powerless. Frustrated.
Feeling victimized is dangerous. Often, it can prompt us into addictive or other compulsive behaviors.
In recovery, we're learning to identify when we're feeling victimized, when we are actually being victimized, and why we're feeling victimized. We're learning to own our power, to take care of ourselves, and to remove ourselves as victims.
Sometimes, owning our power means we realize we are victimizing ourselves - and others are not doing anything to hurt us. They are living their lives, as they have a right to, and we are feeling victimized because we're attempting to control their process or we're unreasonably expecting them to take care of us. We may feel victimized if we get stuck in a codependent belief, such as. Other people make me feel.... Others hold the key to my happiness and destiny.... Or, I can't be happy unless another behaves in a particular way, or a certain event takes place...
Other times, owning our power means we realize that we are being victimized by another's behavior. Our boundaries are being invaded. In that case, we figure out what we need to do to take care of ourselves to stop the victimization; we need to set boundaries.
Sometimes, a change of attitude is all that's required. We are not victims.
We strive to have compassion for the person, who victimized us, but understand that compassion often comes later, after we've removed ourselves as victims in body, mind, and spirit. We also understand that too much compassion can put us right back into the victim slot. Too much pity for a person who is victimizing us may set up a situation where the person can victimize us again.
We try not to force consequences or crises upon another person, but we also do not rescue that person from logical consequences of his or her behavior. If there is a part that is our responsibility to play in delivering those consequences, we do our part - not to control or punish, but to be responsible for ourselves and to others.
We try to figure out what we may be doing that is causing us to feel victimized, or what part we are playing in the system, and we stop doing that too. We are powerless over others and their behavior, but we can own our power to remove ourselves as victims.
Today, I will take responsibility for myself and. show it to others by not allowing myself to be victimized, I cannot control outcomes, but I can control my attitude toward being victimized. I am not a victim; I do not deserve to be victimized.


My Higher Power guides me in making all healthy and positive decisions today. --Ruth Fishel

*****************************************

Journey To The Heart

Honor the Process of Spiritual Growth

Don’t wait for things to change. The change you’re waiting for will come from within you. Start to nurture yourself through each stage of your evolution, your spiritual growth.

Waiting for things to change is a tiresome, irritating, process. But embracing our own emotions and growth is exciting. It can become a positive challenge that turns life into a vital, interactive process. The moment we surrender to this process, something happens. If we feel an emotion– an old, stuck, hardened chunk of emotion or a new one that has arisen along the path, we can release it and the belief attached to it: I am an alcoholic. Life has to be hard. I deserve to be punished.

When we release the emotion and the belief, our body shifts. It detoxifies. Changes. A new lesson emerges. We discover we can choose joy, freedom, forgiveness. The lessons that can emerge are as unique as our old beliefs. We wrestle with each new lesson as it grows and appears in many different forms– on the job, in love relationships, in all areas of our lives.

Soon we come to a new conclusion about ourselves, about life. I am lovable. I am creatively feeling what God and the universe have to offer me. I am free. I can bring my full essence and energy before the world. Then when we change, when our beliefs change, our lives change. The change we’ve been waiting for happens, but it happens as a result of our own evolutionary process– not because we waited for something or someone in our lives outside ourselves to change.

Trust this process of change. Honor it, respect it, revere it. You no longer have to wait for something to happen. Something is happening right now; within you. Welcome the changes that can be yours. Let life help you, as you take an active part in creating these changes. Let the process become living, interactive, and magical.

*****************************************

More Language Of Letting Go

You’re connected to life and the universe

“My friend died, and I was upset,” a man told me one day. “I took off on a trip, wandering around the Southwest, hiking through Bryce Canyon. I saw the snow in the caverns, the rich red carved peaks sticking up. I saw the vastness of the universe, and the beauty in all of it. I had set off on my trip to prove how unique and isolated I was in my grief. By the time the trip ended, I realized just how connected to this world I am.”

Part of letting go is recognizing that you are part of this universe and not separate from it.

Perhaps a situation has come up in your life recently that signals an ending– the passing of a relative, the end of a relationship, the loss of a job. The people we love and the things we do contribute to our sense of who we are. When the people and things we love are threatened, taken away, we can rebel. We want to hold on to the known and don’t want to see what’s on the other side.

Let go of the uncontrollable in your life. You’re not a solitary being in this great universe, set to struggle against all of the forces; you’re part of the whole. And the changes that come– whether they’re joyous or sad, easy or difficult– are just a part of the growing process that each of us goes through.

Feel the pain when you have a loss. Feel the joy when you triumph. Then let go and continue to grow.

See how connected you are.

God, help me recognize that I am a part of your creation and don’t need to fight it. Help me live in peace and celebration of life.

*****************************************

A Day At A Time

Reflection For The Day

It was far easier for me to accept my powerlessness over my addiction than it was for me to accept the notion that some sort of Higher Power could accomplish that which I had been unable to accomplish myself. Simply by seeking help and accepting the fellowship of others similarly afflicted, the craving left me. And I realized that if I was doing what I was powerless along to do, then surely I was doing so by some Power outside my own and obviously greater. Have I surrendered my life into the hands of God?

Today I Pray

May God erase in me the arrogant pride which keeps me from listening to Him. May my unhealthy dependence on chemicals and my clinging dependence on those nearby be transformed into reliance on God. Only in this kind of dependence/reliance on a Higher Power will I find my own transformation.

Today I Will Remember

I am God-dependent.

*****************************************

One More Day

Wisdom is knowing when you can’t be wise. Paul Engle

Whenever we previously thought of wisdom we may either have imagined a venerated sage or a beloved grandparent. Or we may have thought of formal schooling and college degrees.

We remember wisdom learned from our parents. We remember conveying similar ideas to our children. How many of us really remember the first time we had to answer, “I don’t know”? And what about the moment when it finally occurred to us that there are certain skills that we will never be able to develop?

Understanding comes when we expand ourselves to our fullest capacities and accept ourselves just as we are. Then and only then are we wise.

The more comfortable I become with my limitations, the more I can grow.
Author Sefra Kobrin Pitzele

************************************

Food For Thought

Be Not Anxious

If we are conscientiously working the OA program, we may leave the results to our Higher Power. To worry is to insult God. When we admit that we are powerless over food and that our lives have become unmanageable, we can then ask for and receive strength and power beyond ourselves. When we turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him, we are free to live without anxiety.

At first, we are awkward. We turn over our problems and anxieties one minute and take them back the next. We forget that the Twelve Step program has worked for countless other compulsive people--alcoholics and drug addicts as well as overeaters. Doubting God's strength, we fall back on our own weakness, and the result is trouble.

Through our contacts with OA members, we can see lives changed and people made new in body, mind, and spirit. These examples are convincing testimony to the efficiency of our Higher Power. The more we trust His will for us, the more He is able to work miracles in our lives.

Take my anxieties, Lord. I pray that Thy will may be done.

*****************************************

One Day At A Time

~ OPPORTUNITIES ~

Tiger, tiger, burning bright,
In the forest of the night,
What immortal hand or eye,
could frame thy dreadful symmetry?
William Blake

This quote from mystic and poet William Blake expresses the sense of wonder and awe I have about God, who can make a being like a tiger, an aggressive carnivore. God, who I suppose to be kind and loving, makes beings that are potentially dangerous to me. The question "Why?" stirs in my mind, alongside fears about what God may have in store for me.

"Fear of the Lord, is the beginning of wisdom," says one religious text. I can feel grateful for the stirring fear, and question, as the seeds of new wisdom.

A quick thought enters, "I can also feel grateful for the chance to flex my faith muscles and to increase their strength. Maybe that's why God makes tigers and their ilk."

A habit of staying detached from the emotions life arouses in me heightens my perceptions of what life has to offer, highlights what God has to offer in each situation and the reasons I have for being grateful. This is essential to my recovery. It's the spine of an attitude of gratitude that also nurtures remembrance of God, and conscious contact with Him.

One Day at a Time . . .
I thank God for what I have already learned,
for all opportunities to learn more,
and for the chance to perfect "skill in action" in my recovery way of life.
~ James ~

*****************************************

AA 'Big Book' - Quote

When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is, or He isn't. What was our choice to be? - Pg. 53 - We Agnostics

Hour To Hour - Book - Quote

We have been known to think that dishonesty with others was OK as long as it didn't 'hurt' them. We really don't know what will hurt another or not. Being dishonest with other people deprives them of the information they need to run their own lives.

Honesty is honesty. Let me understand that 'little' dishonesties are a disservice to others as well as myself.

I Will Be Me

I will be me, today. One thing I never seem to do well at, is trying to be someone else. I can imitate and learn from others, but I cannot be them. Only they know how to do that, it's a natural outgrowth of all that they have experienced in life, of all they are. That's the bad news. The good news is no one can be me as well as me. Being me builds on who I already am. It's exercise for my personality and my spirit. If I allow myself to actualize my own unique gifts and visions they will have originality to them, a freshness.

I am a better me than anyone else can be

- Tian Dayton PhD

"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book

Do not let the newcomer's inner child run our meetings. This is not play therapy.

Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote

Everybody makes mistakes. Fools repeat them, the weak excuse them, only the wise admit and profit from them.

If I really want to find a solution to my current quandary, I will. If not, I will find an excuse.

Time for Joy - Book - Quote

My Higher Power guides me in making all healthy and positive decisions today.

Alkiespeak - Book - Quote

He who laughs, lasts. - Anon.

*****************************************

AA Thought for the Day

January 19

Complacency
It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels.
We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe.
We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have
is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 85

Thought to Ponder . . .
The alcoholic is in no greater peril than when he takes sobriety for granted.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Always Aware.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Choice

The fact is that most alcoholics,
for reasons yet obscure,
have lost the power of choice in drink.
Our so-called will power becomes practically nonexistent.
We are unable, at certain times,
to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force
the memory of the suffering and humiliation
of even a week or a month ago.
We are without defense against the first drink.
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 24

Thought to Consider . . .
Just for today, I choose not to drink.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*

A A = Absolute Abstinence

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*

Diverse
>From "What We Need Each Other":
For years, whenever I reflected on Tradition Three ('The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop
drinking'), I thought it valuable only to newcomers. It was their guarantee that no one could bar them from A.A. Today I
feel enduring gratitude for the spiritual development the Tradition has brought me. Charlotte, the atheist, showed me
higher standards of ethics and honor; Clay, of another race, taught me patience; Winslow, who is gay, led me by
example into true compassion; Young Megan says that seeing me at meetings, sober thirty years, keeps her coming
back. Tradition Three insured that we would get what we need each other."
1990 AAWS, Inc.; Daily Reflections, pg. 33

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"I am responsible for reporting for duty and making the effort to overcome adversity, and in so doing to overcome
myself."
Van Nuys,Calif., November 1966
"Responsibility Is the Name of the Game,"
AA Grapevine

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly
face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is, or He isn't. What was our choice to
be? Pg. 53 - We Agnostics

"It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to
futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent that we permit
these, do we squander the hours that might have been worth while."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66

I explained what a wonderful Fellowship we had, how well we understood each other.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 152

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Disagreeable or unexpected problems are not the only ones that call for self-control. We must be quite as careful when
we begin to achieve some measure of importance and material success. For no people have ever loved personal
triumphs more than we have loved them; we drank of success as of a wine which could never fail to make us-feel
elated. Blinded by prideful self-confidence, we were apt to play the big shot.
Now that we're in A.A. and sober, winning back the esteem of our friends and business associates, we find that we still
need to exercise special vigilance. As an insurance against the dangers of big-shot-ism, we can often check ourselves
by remembering that we are today sober only by the grace of God and that any success we may be having is far more
His success than ours.

Prayer for the Day: Accepting Every Task - Dear God, Help me find the strength to be effective and accept
responsibility. I am asking YOU for the strength I need each day. You have proven in countless lives that for very day I
live, YOU will give me that necessary power. I must face every challenge that comes to me during the day sure that
YOU will give me the strength to face it. I pray that I may accept every task as a challenge. I know I can't wholly fail if you
are with me.

Ask and you shall receive,
Seek and ye shall find,
Knock and it shall be opened unto you.
Matthew 7:7