Daily Reflections reading August
29th
I Choose Anonymity
We are sure that humility, expressed by anonymity, is the greatest safeguard that Alcoholics Anonymous can ever have. 12 & 12, p.187
Since there are no rules in A.A. I place myself where I want to be, and so I choose anonymity. I want my God to use me, humbly, as one of His tools in this program. Sacrifice is the art of giving of myself freely, allowing humility to replace my ego. With sobriety, I suppress that urge to cry out to the world, “I am a member of A.A.” and I experience inner joy and peace. I let people see the changes in me and hope they will ask what happened to me. I place the principles of spirituality ahead of judging, fault-finding, and criticism. I want love and caring in my group, so I can grow
© Alcoholics Anonymous World Services
My thoughts on August 29th
Reading
I had to chose anonymity knowing it goes much deeper than
just not revealing my last name, I had to keep the focus on principles, rather
than personalities, personal anonymity should be maintained at all levels
Anonymity is maintained not so much for the protection of the individual
As for the protection of AA as a whole, principles must be
maintained for us all to survive, It is the principals of this program that
will keep me sober and enable me to have a real life I have seen so many people
in AA follow a particular sponsor, or if you would an AA Guru
As if they were the sole authority, only to have that person
all too human and inevitably fail, because they put themselves in the position
to be God, we all know they are not God of any kind when we put someone on a
pedestal we all know what part we will see
This program is a we thing, for many reasons. Deifying a
person not only harms the followers but the followed, who are then in no
position to need anyone themselves. The tradition says we practice this
tradition this for three reasons
So we can actually practice genuine humility, so we don't
get too up ourselves, and so that we can always keep our gratitude first in our
mind More often then not I have heard people share Tradition twelve means that
I have to put AA's principles first
Rather than someone's personal opinion, so I can protect the
very roots of AA as a whole, and since everyone is not well at the same time,
it becomes very hard to discern the truth also I feel it is the hardest times
to do this is when it is someone we really care about and respect a lot
That may, for real sincere reasons want to deviate from the
principles and we tend to back them,
because they are all ready hurting too much, so we let a
little more of our principles slip away, and sadly AA has lost a little more of
it's foundation.
That's why we need to have that unconditional love for the
principles, so we may love each other
unconditionally, and that love comes from taking the risks
of resting on the principles rather then
giving in, playing God because we feel that the person we
care so much for is loved less by God
Because we don't give them the chance to grow in the truth
of AA's wisdom we allow them to create
their own, and it may appear to be helpful, but it is just
as damaging and unloving to the individual as
it is to AA on the whole.
Anonymity being the spiritual foundation, to me, means that
when we walk into a meeting, we leave
what we are at the door and walk in as who we are there is
no rich man or poor man, we are all equals. How far you have gone with you
education, or how successful you are in life
Has no bearing on what you can get from or what you can contribute to the program. I know May and I others are honor graduates from The University of Hard Knocks, now sitting shoulder to shoulder. Being anonymous as an individual in a we program.
If I become the message instead of carrying the message, then my sobriety is at risk, so is AA as a whole I am no better nor no worst than anyone else who walks thru the doors of AA I have to remain humbly for what God in His grace has given me, a second chance at life
God bless you Al M
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