Daily Reflections reading February 18th
Our Paths Are Our Own
there
was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid
at our feet. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 25
My
first attempt at the Steps was one of obligation and necessity, which resulted
in a deep feeling of discouragement in the face of all those adverbs:
courageously; completely; humbly; directly; and only. I considered Bill W.
fortunate to have gone through such a major, even sensational, spiritual
experience. I had to discover, as time went on, that my path was my own. After
a few twenty-four hours in the A.A. Fellowship, thanks especially to the
sharing of members in meetings, I understood that everyone gradually finds his
or her own pace in moving through the Steps. Through progressive means, I try
to live according to these suggested principles. As a result of these Steps, I
can say today that my attitude towards life, people, and towards anything
having to do with God, has been transformed and improved.
© Alcoholics
Anonymous World Services
My
thoughts on February 18th Reading
Our paths are our own, the path I chose to follow is toward
a new spiritual way to live my life by working the twelve steps into my new
found life, the steps give us so many tools to help us, I some times wonder
where I would be without them
My first tool was given to me at my first meeting a gift
from the group a big book I was told the answers are all in there between the
covers just open it and start reading, if you need help just ask anyone at any
meeting we are all here to stay sober
Many other tool like books, meetings, sponsor, sayings,
slogans, acronyms, being active, the steps the spirituality of finding a power
greater than oneself, and using this power to change, theses are the tool I
found along the path I was following with an open mind
The fellowship is a tool where we come to share our own
experience, strength, and hope, there are so many more tools to recovery, to a
new way of life living sober, for me to stay sober I need to give back what was
given to me this is the basics of AA
The fellowship, the 12 steps, the willingness to change
myself, to find this and with out the steps to guide me into this new way of
looking at myself, I would just be a sober drunk and I would still have the
same God like qualities of my past
I had to learning about all twelve of the steps, not just
step one, I found that higher power, I began to get a little sanity thru using
step two, in step three I found the God of my understanding, loving and
forgiven God, who led me right into steps four and five
There are many ways I could enrich my spiritual journey,
there is no set path I must follow in order to live a spiritual life, I needed
to look at them all, journaling is one of the most powerful, useful tools I had
in my spiritual toolbox
When I wrote in my journals I was communicating with myself
putting my feelings on paper, where I could not project on them, it also helped
me with the fourth step, I felt like I was sharing my thoughts goals and
concerns with myself, later to share with my sponsor
As I dug deeply into my mind I expressed my emotions, the
writing helped me to look at my spiritual progress, it is great to be able to
sit and read all the earlier writings, the eleventh step prayer of St Francis
helped me to channel my thoughts and beliefs into a path to help others
It is better to give that to receive, this also helped me to
forgive others and myself, meditation made me feel closer to the God of my new
understanding, that led me to my spiritual experience, the night I prayed to
God to remove the desire to drink and all that was troubling me
I felt His presents in my life that night, I knew He was
doing for me what I could not do myself, I felt child like as if He picked me
up into His arms, held me close to Him, comforting me, tell me every thing is
now going to be alright, I am with you
I laid on my mom’s sofa bed for 36 hours to wake up to a
sense of peace I call total serenity, as if the whole world was right and I
could always be at peace, that night I believed in a power greater than myself
God as I came to understand, I had a sense of inter connectedness with all
An awareness of the purpose and meaning of life, the finding
of personal values, although spirituality is often associated with religion, I
believe my personal spirituality was found and developed outside of religion in
the halls of AA
God bless you Al M
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suggestions or comments
