Daily
Reflections reading December 14th
Reaching Out
Never
talk down to an alcoholic from any moral or spiritual hilltop; simply lay out
the kit of spiritual tools for his inspection. Show him how they worked with
you. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 95
When
I come into contact with a newcomer, do I have a tendency to look at him from
my perceived angle of success in A.A.? Do I compare him with the large number
of acquaintances I have made in the Fellowship? Do I point out to him in a
magisterial way the voice of A.A.? What is my real attitude toward him? I must
examine myself whenever I meet a newcomer to make sure that I am carrying the
message with simplicity, humility and generosity. The one who still suffers
from the terrible disease of alcoholism must find in me a friend who will allow
him to get to know the A.A. way, because I had such a friend when I arrived in
A.A. Today it is my turn to hold out my hand, with love, to my sister or
brother alcoholic, and to show her or him the way to happiness.
© Alcoholics Anonymous World Services
My thoughts on December 13th Reading
At first I didn't understand why they say, you have to give
it away to keep, it but after being around the program for a while, I began to
feel a lot of gratitude, I wanted to give back some of what was given to me so
freely
I found the principles I learned by working the Twelve Steps
are really good principles, to live my whole life by, not just so I could get
and stay sober, but like when I am with people or my family the principles gave
me honesty and integrity
I remember how confused I was in early recovery, if I can
share my experience, strength, and hope, at a meeting and show a newcomer there
is hope to recover from our disease of alcoholism, all I needed to do is share
how I surrender to the malady of the disease
I started to sponsoring people after I had a couple of years
in sobriety, I was told if you sponsor
someone, you should have gone thru the steps yourselves, so you have something
to offer your sponsee, show them what your sponsor gave you
I won't have to go back out drinking again to remember how
bad it felt, reaching out to others shows me what it will be like I learn from
their experiences, I don't need to go out and experiment again, the newcomer
shows me it just never gets better
Anyone can reach out and do twelfth step work, you don't
have to have much recovery to pour coffee, or help clean up after a meeting,
that's the best way to get to really know people, I was told it is the meeting
before the meeting and picking up is the meeting after the meeting
It’s really the changes we find in ourselves after working
the Steps and being in recovery for a while that deep positive changes in the
way we look at things, in the way we react to life, we go from dependence of
alcohol, to freedom from alcohol
We go from letting everything in the world bug us, to
knowing how to find peace, from trying to control everything by ourselves, with
our willpower, to letting others and even God help us, the first goal of reaching
out is not the service given, but the service we receive
We reaffirm our commitment to sobriety and a spiritual way
of life, in seeing the suffering of the drunk, we remember what might have been
and still might be, if we were to continue down the path of destruction we ourselves
were heading down
Trying to reach out and carry the message in recovery is
what its all about, time in program does not matter, remember we carry the
message of recovery, we do not carry anyone’s mess for them, let go absolutely,
don't preach the program, share how it worked for you with others
Sharing our experience strength and hope is what recovery is
all about and this is unity, reaching out to others is unity defined as
singleness of purpose or action and we sure have a single purpose that is to
carry the message of recovery to all, willing to surrender to their disease
When we reach out to help others we all gain some real love
and true friendships, sobriety is helping others to find themselves, I found so
many people on my journey who only wanted for me, what was given to them in the
beginning of their journey
I have learned that when I give unconditional love, I always
get it back this love its hard to not receive the love back, maybe not from
those who I give it to but God does return to anyone giving freely of their
time trying to help others
Living by His will we always get as good as we give, so yes
we help ourselves working with others improves our own judgment of character,
we seek others that have the things God wants us to have in our own lives
We sit and listen to others then watch their actions we know,
who we need to seek out to help us with our own recovery, so it is all about
helping myself thru working with others, many in AA are looking for the same
things we were given when we first walked into the halls
We also learn from all of you, remembering what it was like
before we learned how to trust, these meetings are but a beginning of a new way
of life, trusting in gods wisdom, knowing we can not keep this fellowship
unless we give it all away, each and every day
Reach out to the one who still suffers and you will receive
ten fold for your efforts, even when they slip you learn patience tolerance and
understanding of your own disease and with this new knowledge you grow in the
fellowship and your own life is always enriched when you reach out
God bless Al M
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suggestions or comments
