Daily Reflections reading March 20th
Love and Tolerance
Love
and tolerance of others in our code. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84
I
have found that I have to forgive others in all situations to maintain any real
spiritual progress. The vital importance of forgiving may not be obvious to me
at first sight, but my studies tell me that every great spiritual teacher has
insisted strongly upon it. I must forgive injuries, not just in words, or as a
matter of form, but in my heart. I do this not for the other persons’ sake, but
for my own sake. Resentment, anger, or a desire to see someone punished, are
things that rot my soul. Such things fasten my troubles to me with chains. They
tie me to other problems that have nothing to do with my original problem.
© Alcoholics Anonymous World Services
My
thoughts on March 20th Reading
I have the capacity to love and to be
loved today but trying to make someone love me is controlling and that’s how I
lost my first controlling everything while drinking and playing God, love for
me is to be given freely to all including myself from the heart and
unconditional
Because I can love everyone in this new
way of thinking I get freedom from my anger and fears I also have been given
the tools to practice tolerance with other who at times can rub me the wrong
way, I have found when this happens its something I need to look at in myself
Why do I have to get angry at someone for
their differences after all they may be right and I could be wrong, we never
know until we look with in, tolerance is a lot harder to handle than love, it
takes a lot of patience’s to try to accept someone who to myself is
unacceptable
But then I was a pain in the butt when I
first sobered up, loving everyone can be done the prayer of St Francis is a
good example of how to do it, for me I had to be shown how to love myself first
and boy that was not easy to do sober
I thought I was the ruler of the universe
when I was drunk, that sure made a host of enemies, today I have the teachings
of the fellowship along with the love of my God who has taught me unconditional
love for everyone now that don't mean I have to like everything that people do
But if I do not keep the attitude of love
for all, then I start to regress back to that ruler of the universe again
wanting to do things my why and judging everyone by my standards, for me
unconditional love has to go out to all, even when I do not ever want to be
like that person
I can still today love them for what they
could become with the help of us all, today I do not have to accept there
unacceptable behavior and I do not have to change them I only have to change my
attitude towards them to one of love forgiveness and hope
I also don't have to let them have any
free space in my head to screw me up, to each his own I give my love freely and
unconditionally, what you do with it is your business, best of all I can
honesty say that today I do Love myself as much as I love others
I have ceased fighting anything or anyone
even alcohol, surrendering is where I started to get the freedom from myself,
the twelve steps and the fellowship of AA is were I found this unconditional
love of God who did restore me to sane thinking
God bless you Al M
Please feel free to mail
suggestions or comments
