Daily Reflections reading June 18th
A Fellowship Of Freedom
if
only men were granted absolute liberty, and were compelled to obey no one, they
would then voluntarily associate themselves in the common interest. AS BILL
SEES IT, p. 50
When
I no longer live under the dictates of another or of alcohol, I live in a new
freedom. When I release the past and all the excess baggage I have carried for
so very long, I come to know freedom. I have been introduced into a life and a
fellowship of freedom. The Steps are a “recommended” way of finding a new life,
there are no commands or dictates in A.A. I am free to serve from desire rather
than decree. There is the understanding that I will benefit from the growth of
other members and I take what I learn and bring it back to the group. The
“common welfare” finds room to grow in the society of personal freedom.
©
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services
My
thoughts on June 18th Reading
We sometimes brag of the virtues of the AA fellowship, I have to remember none of these are earned virtues they are God given, because of the cruel lash of alcoholism AA had to adopted these new attitudes, for this new fellowship, not because AA wanted to but because AA had to
As my sobriety progressed the rightness of AA’s basic principles, began to become a part of me the fellowship was the right way for me to go, but at first I was reluctant to accept all the tenants, or if you wish the program of steps and traditions
Today I know I where I stand willing to accept these steps and traditions, all of the principles and experiences, given to me by the grace of God, I at first thought AA was unique But this is not so, AA’s principles of recovery are borrowed, and so are most of AA’s structural ideas.
When I came into AA I found a greater personal freedom, than any other society knows, AA does not compel us do anything, AA has absolutely no rules or regulations to follow, AA’s are not compelled to obey anyone, in person we all have a common interest
When AA went into action functioning as groups, AA
found that it’s groups had to become independent, except where they would
affect AA as a whole, when old-timers retired, groups elected trusted servants
by majority vote, each group in this sense became an entity of its own
AA learned thru trial and error it cannot forever
float alone it must somehow be connected with the groups about it thru our
General Service Conferences, AA’s Conferences will be more than a connection it
will represent the conscience of AA world wide, where our Trustees will become
directly accountable.
This is a resolution in part from the Twentieth
Anniversary Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous, assembled at St. Louis in July
of the year 1955, declare our belief that our Fellowship has now come of age
and is entirely ready to assume full and permanent possession of the Three
Legacies of our A.A. inheritance, the Legacies of Recovery, Unity, and Service.
Bill W's proposal that A.A.'s General Service
Conference should now become the permanent successor to the founders of AA
inheriting from them all their former duties and responsibilities, thus
avoiding all possible strivings for individual prestige or personal power, also
providing our Society with the means of functioning on a permanent basis.
God Bless Al M
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