Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - July

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July 1

Step by Step

"God will constantly disclose more to you ...Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order. ...(O)bviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 11 ("A Vision for You"), p 164.

Today: "This is the Great Fact for us." And it is "great events" for me and "countless others" that I may not have yet but will receive. This Great Fact is not free, however . We must have a relationship that is right with our higher power, and our own house has to be in order before we can carry out the command of the 12th Step to help someone else. But if our relationship with our God as we understand him is "right" and our own house is in order, this - the promise of the program - comes to us. Today, I focus my vision on the promise of what will be instead of returning to what drinking does to me. And my beginning echoes back to Step One: "(I am) powerless ..."). Second, I seek the willingness to come to believe in that power greater than myself. I want the promise of the program, and I am willing and ready to work for it. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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~ EASY DOES IT ~ (A Book of Daily 12 Step Meditations) ~

LIFE WITH MODERATION

O grant me, Heaven, a middle state
Neither too humble nor too great,
More than enough for nature's ends,
With something left to treat my friends.

~ David Mallet ~

One of the biggest defects of character, a shortcoming suffered by us all, is our inability to be moderate in living. During our active addiction we did everything to extremes. We thought anything worthwhile must always be done to excess. “Too much ain't enough" was the keynote of our living. We wanted to do everything as often and is much as possible. It was all or nothing for us.

Now we try to change our behavior and thinking so there can never be too much or too little. We work for a happy middle ground. In our Program we learn early that extremes in anything will accomplish nothing.

I must discard my old ideas about living to extremes. It is now the middle ground I seek.

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~ WISDOM TO KNOW ~ (More Daily Meditations For Men) ~

The past has flown away. The coming month and year do not exist; ours only is the present’s tiny point.

~ Shabestari ~

We are tempted to look back and to look ahead. But what we most need to do is be present in this moment, with ourselves, with our loved ones and friends, and with our experience right here and right now. When we were lost and asleep in our using days and codependency, we could not be emotionally present. Our thoughts were taken up with how we would get our next drink, our next big gambling win, or our next sexual exploit—or with how to handle the latest crisis. To be emotionally present and live in the moment: this takes time, and it’s a frame of mind that develops as we grow in recovery.

One way we become more present in the moment is to practice gratitude. We can always name a few things we feel grateful for: small and big things, funny and serious things. Looking through the lens of gratitude brings us into the immediate moment.

Today I will look at my day through the lens of gratitude.

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~ A WOMAN’S SPIRIT ~ (More Meditations For Women) ~

It is now clear to me that from the beginning some human beings saw that the best way of I taking life was lightly.

~ Florida Scott-Maxwell ~

Not overreacting to the events in our lives is a major achievement for some of us. Thinking before acting is a learned behavior; we have time and many daily opportunities to learn it.

The people who seem to laugh easily, who are always ready with encouragement, who seldom are in a personal crisis, are obvious targets of our envy. What makes them different? Why don’t they struggle like we do? It isn’t fair, we think.

There’s just one difference between them and us: it’s called faith. They have it, and we can too. Beginning each day reflecting on the Serenity Sprayer will help us develop the faith we lack. Giving to God the many problems we needlessly worry over lightens our load. Laughter can come more easily to us too.

Letting God handle my problems today will allow me more time to laugh.

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~ TODAY I WILL DO ONE THING ~ (Daily Readings for Awareness and Hope) ~

My problem has a name

Before I got into recovery I didn’t know what my problem really was, and I didn't know how to help myself. I was confused and I wound up running from my deep pain. The ways I tried to cope only made things worse.

I now know that I have a dual disorder. And to guide me I have embraced the Twelve Step program. To help recover, I will go to meetings; read the literature; stay in touch with my sponsor and other helpers. If I do these things I trust that I will grow stronger and my problems will weaken. I am grateful that my problem has a name because it lessens my fear and leads to a solution.

I will carry a flash card with "Keep it simple" on one side and the Serenity Prayer on the other.

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~ BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT ~ (Inspiration and Support for Recovery) ~

When you take your inventory, don’t forget your assets.

~ Carol K. ~

Part of taking a good inventory is identifying our strengths. When we concentrate only on our defects and weaknesses, we shortchange ourselves and everyone around us. All of us have assets, and taking an inventory is a good time to get in touch with them.
We need to identify the things we do well, the things we have done for others, the care we have given. We need to give ourselves credit for our healthier bodies, our clearer minds, and our new spiritual awareness. We can let ourselves feel good about these things. They are now part of us, part of who we are. And when our inventory is really complete, we can share these positive attributes with God, ourselves, and another human being.

There is so much we can learn and much we can give ourselves by acknowledging our strengths, our assets, and our goodness. These good things are the foundation for much growth in recovery, and we can enjoy their rewards today.

Today let me remember the good things in me.

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~ MORNING LIGHT ~ (Meditations to Begin Your Day) ~

Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

~ Step Seven ~

A prayer is a humble and heartfelt communication with a power greater than yourself. A prayer can admit a weakness, communicate a need, or convey praise and gratitude. Prayers can unburden your heart, give you strength and courage, and deepen your faith and trust in a Higher Power. Use the following prayer as you work on your understanding and acceptance of Step Seven.

Step Seven Prayer Higher Power, I devote my life in recovery to you. I treasure your guidance, and humbly ask for your help. You are my creator. You have given me life so that I may live it with purity and respect. But I alone have created my many defects of character. I have allowed them to grow because I have paid more attention to my addiction than to you or to others.

Higher Power, I have made many mistakes. I have harmed others. And I have distanced myself from you. I pray to you now to help me remove these defects of character so that I may commune with you with a greater willingness to listen and follow your guidance, and so that I can be more useful to you and to others who share In my journey. This I ask in your name.

Higher Power, thank you for listening to my prayer.

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~ NIGHT LIGHT ~ (A Book Of Nighttime Meditations) ~

Why do some people always see beautiful skies and grass and lovely flowers and incredible human beings, while others are hard-pressed to find anything or any place that is beautiful?

~ Leo Buscaglia ~

We may have some pretty strong feelings about those people who come to meetings and say only positive things. We may feel uncomfortable with their smiling faces and warm welcomes. We may wonder how anyone could be so happy. We know they wouldn't be happy if they had a day like we had today!

It’s hard to break the pattern of seeing only the negative things. We've spent so long at the bottom of the barrel that it’s hard to be at the top. It takes work to think of things in a positive way; that may be a new way of thinking for us.

But we can start thinking positively. Instead of remembering all the negative things that happened today, we can sift through until we find just one positive thing. After a while we may come up with two, or three or many more. Soon, we may be one of those positive people with a cheery outlook!

Can I think of one positive thing that happened to me today? Can I express this positive thing to others?

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~ DAY BY DAY ~ (Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts) ~

Seeking freedom

If we want freedom from addiction, we must start the process ourselves. Then we must accept any help offered and follow the direction of our Higher Power. Recovery does not come to us without effort. First we seek abstinence; we want to be clean and sober. Later, we look for the joys of living.

It often takes months and years to grasp the principles that will set us free. But free of what? At first, freedom from alcohol and other drugs; then, freedom from fear and from anything else that binds us. To become free, we can begin seeking our principles and our truth today.

Am I seeking freedom?

Higher Power, help me become free from the things that bind me.

Today I will work toward freedom from

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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~ IF YOU WANT WHAT WE HAVE ~ (Sponsorship Meditations) ~

It is not possible to step twice into the same river.

~ HERACLITUS ~

Newcomer

Suddenly, my life has become very full. Things I thought I had lost are coming back to me. Changes are taking place at work and in my personal life. Most of it is good, I guess, but I’m overwhelmed with feelings of fear. I don’t know where I’m going; I wish things would stay still.

Sponsor

No one dislikes change as much as I do. When I was active in my addiction, I did everything I could to maintain the status quo. Things changed anyway—usually for the worse. Today, when good things come, I can feel just as scared of them as of bad things. I’m afraid that I won’t know how to handle new challenges; I’m afraid people will find out how inadequate I feel. I remind myself that I’m not in charge of the way things turn out; I show up for life and do what I’m supposed to do. I’m responsible for the actions I take, not the results. I let myself take things slowly. I don’t have to rush. And I don’t have to face my fears alone: the more I talk about them, the easier things get.

As we go through periods of change or stress, it helps to imagine that we have a volume control knob; we can turn down the volume of our thoughts about the future and focus our attention on enjoying the present moment.

Today, I face change calmly. I enjoy the present moment and let the future take care of itself. The slower I go, the faster I’ll get there.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

A sinner is usually a sinner because he is thinking wrong, whereas a mean person has a warped and deformed personality.

A sinner’s faults usually lie in his thoughtlessness, but the mean person is nearly always a person of strong will and determination.

Sinning stems from weakness, meanness from strength.

A dog will love a sinner but seldom a mean person.

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~ The 12 STEP PRAYER BOOK ~ (A Collection of Favorite 12 Step Prayers and Inspirational Readings) ~

BLESSED MOTHER TERESA’s PRAYER

Let nothing upset you;
Let nothing frighten you.
Everything is changing;
God alone is changeless.
Patience attains the goal.
Who has Cod lacks nothing:
God alone fills all of our needs.

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~ AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX ~ (A Book of Daily Readings) ~

KARMA

Just as like attracts like, so like produces like. This is a cosmic law, which means that it is universally true throughout the whole of existence right up through the higher planes. As Jesus put it, you do not gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles; and he also said,

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit . . . (Matthew 7:17).

So it is with our thoughts and words and deeds. As we sow so shall we reap, sometimes almost immediately, sometimes after a long interval. But always, sooner or later like produces like.

Reincarnation also explains the differences in talents that we find between one man and another. The born musician is a man who has studied music in a previous life, perhaps in several lives, and has therefore built that faculty into his soul. He is a talented musician today because he is reaping what he sowed yesterday. In the East this law of sowing and reaping is known as karma and the term is a convenient one.

Note carefully, however, that karma is not punishment. If you touch a red hot stove, you will bum your finger. This will hurt you, but it is not punishment, only a benign and reformative consequence, for after one or two such experiences in childhood, you learn to keep your fingers away from hot iron. So it is with all natural retribution—you suffer because you have a lesson to learn.

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~ A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE ~ (365 Daily Inspirations for Heart-Centered Living) ~

Supersoul

To be all that we were meant to be and to do all that we were meant to do, is the only end in life.

~ Spinoza ~

The first Superman movie offered a striking metaphor for the way we learn our purpose on earth. In the film, baby Superman's parents place him in a space capsule and send him off to Earth to escape the destruction of their planet. As the infant is hurtling past the stars, he listens to a series of audio tapes teaching him about himself and his purpose. The tapes, preprogrammed by his parents, remind him of his origin, his strengths, and his mission on Earth. By the time he arrives at his destination, he is clear about his identity, and he goes about the business of being Superman.

Our story is remarkably like that of Superman: We arrived on Earth with great innate wisdom, seeded with the knowledge of our purpose. Before we were born, we consciously chose, in co-creatorship with Spirit, who we would be and what we would accomplish while we are here.

But here our story departs from Superman's in that when we arrived on Earth, we forgot. Quickly we were distracted by the limits that our body imposed on us and the negative messages laid upon us by a world that had forgotten to look within for truth. Before long, we wandered with the masses, puzzling, "How did I get here, and what am I supposed to be doing?"

The moment we ask these questions, we begin our spiritual adventure of returning to the wisdom we forgot. We set out to reclaim true vision, which rewards us infinitely more deeply than seeing through the body's eyes and playing out the world's beliefs. Gradually, the veils of illusion and ignorance are lifted, and we regain the sense of purpose we came to live.

Help me remember my purpose and live the highest life possible.

I honor my purpose of divine expression.
I am here to love, learn, and serve.