Daily Reflections reading
September 8th
We Asked His Protection
We asked his protection and
care with complete abandon. Alcoholics
Anonymous Page 59
I could not manage my life
alone. I had tried that road and failed. My “ultimate sin” dragged me down to the
lowest level I have ever reached and, unable even to function, I accepted the
fact that I desperately needed help. I stopped fighting and surrendered
entirely to God.
Only then did I start growing! God forgave me. Higher Power had to have saved me, because the doctors doubted that I would survive. I have forgiven myself now and I enjoy a freedom I have never before experienced. I’ve opened my heart and mind to Him. The more I learn, the less I know – a humbling fact – but I sincerely want to keep growing. I enjoy serenity, but only when I entrust my life totally to God. As long as I am honest with myself and ask for His help, I can maintain this rewarding existence. Just for today, I strive to live His will for me – soberly. I thank God that today I can choose not to drink. Today life is beautiful!
© Alcoholics Anonymous World Services
My thoughts on September 8th Reading
Well I had to abandon myself to this new
way of life, after I had that awesome spiritual experience I realized it was
God who I once abandoned, He never abandoned me like I thought so often He was
always there just waiting for me to let go of my free will to find Him
Asking His protection is about carrying
the message from one alcoholic to another alcoholic, it is how the program
started has grown and how most of us came to recovery spiritual awakening as a
result of practicing all twelve of the Steps
The barriers I had built through the
years were swept away, I am standing in the Presence God's unconditional love
and protection, for the first time I am living in conscious contact with God as
I know understand Him, he took my alcoholic problem away, that very night,
years ago, it disappeared
There’s nothing in step twelve that calls
for delay, or getting ready for an inventory, or hedging on amends, an
awakening is the result of all the Steps, practicing the principles is simply
the continuing use of the steps to keep me right sized and attuned to Gods will
for me on a daily basis
It was with this awakening and practice
that gave me, not only freedom from my alcoholism, but the serenity to accept
things as they are, it is this awakening and practice that let's me move in my
new world with confidence, knowing my skin fits and I can deal with all that
life hands me
Carrying the message to others is what
the program is all about, back in the early days the program grew mostly by
word of mouth, one drunk talking to another, in those days there was much more
shame associated with alcoholism, even admitting the disease was a stigma
It was recognized that a recovering
alcoholic got much better results working with another drunk, than the
professional people, when I tell my story to a fellow drunk it is easer for him
to identify with me, they can believe me easer than with a counselor
The secret is telling the truth about
what it was like and being willing to listen to what they are saying or
answering question, that are on their minds, being new to recovery I wanted to
get everyone sober I was convinced that anyone who asked for my help really wanted
it.
Sadly this wasn't true some come and just
aren't ready to let go of their addiction, it took me time and almost getting
drunk to realize that my job was to carry the message as best I could but not
get caught up in the mess, the results belonged to the other person and their
God
There are lots of ways for me get
involved I can reach out to a new comer, volunteer to help them, or take a
meeting into a jail, or other institution, or give our name to the Central
Office, or Inter group that fields calls for help, I can also share my own
experience strength and hope
Carrying the message and being willing to
carry the message means we have a message to carry a that message is "God can do for us what we can not do
for ourselves if only we let Him" before we can give it back we have to
learn how to thru all twelve steps
God bless you Al M
Please feel free to mail
suggestions or comments
