Daily Reflections reading August
4th
Seeds Of Faith
Faith, to be sure, is necessary, but faith alone can avail nothing. We can have faith, yet keep God out of our lives. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 34
As a child I constantly questioned the existence of God. To a “scientific thinker” like me, no answer could withstand a thorough dissection, until a very patient woman finally said to me, “You must have faith.” With that simple statement, the seeds of my recovery were sown! Today, as I practice my recovery — cutting back the weeds of alcoholism — slowly I am letting those early seeds of faith to grow and bloom. Each day of recovery, of ardent gardening, brings the Higher Power of my understanding more fully into my life. My God has always been with me through faith, but it is my responsibility to have the willingness to accept His presence. I ask God to grant me the willingness to do His will.
© Alcoholics Anonymous World Services
My thoughts on August 4th Reading
When I drank, become anti-social I had
that genius for getting drunk at exactly the wrong time, I just could not put
it down, I went to the doctor not telling him the truth about how much I drank,
he prescribed those wonderful 10 mg valiums, but like a good alkie once I drank
I was off and running now washing down the valium too, wondered why it was
virtually impossible to stop
I sure do believe my main problem
centered in my mind and body, to this day I still do not know why I would keep
doing the same things over and over, all I really know is I lost control of my
drinking an I did pass into that state where that most powerful desire to stop
drinking was of absolutely no avail
I had lost the power of choice in drink,
my will power was non-existent when it came to stop drinking even when I knew
it was destroying my life, when this thinking was established in me I did place
myself beyond any human aid, with out my going to treatment I would have gone
insane or died
There sure is a solution the steps,
self-searching, losing the false pride, the looking at my character defects and
shortcomings, I had seen it working in others, I too come to believe in the
hopelessness and futility of life as I had been living life
There was nothing left for me but to pick
up the simple kit of spiritual tools, I found this power greater than myself
the God of the people who came before me, I have had the deep and spiritual
experience six months into my recovery, this did change my whole attitude
toward life
Toward God, the fellowship, toward God's
world, the central fact of my life is the absolute certainty that our God has
entered into my heart and life, He has began to do those things for me I could
never do by myself, I do believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution
I was in that position where life was
becoming impossible, I had passed into the region of no return through human
aid, I did have those two alternatives like those before me, one was to go on
to the end trying to blot out the consciousness of the situation, the other was
to accept spiritual help
I to felt the gates of hell had closed on
me with a clang, a spiritual solution was the only way out, the twelve steps
opened that door and let me walk out into step three, from the first paragraph
of step three
“Practicing Step Three is like the
opening of a door which to all appearances is still closed and locked, all we
need is a key and the decision to swing the door open. There is only one key
and it is called willingness once unlocked by willingness the door opens almost
of itself and looking through it we shall see a pathway beside which is an
inscription. It reads: "This is the way to a faith that works."
I like to remember that to me without
being willing to seek out this God of my understanding, trying to find him
with-in myself, trying to understand who God is, I was told He was inside me, a
new way of life was laid at my door and the willingness to walk thru was given
to me
New hope came to me the desire to drink
was lifted, I started my journey to sobriety, this was only a mere beginning to
the rest of the step in recovery, the door opened into step four and with new
hope I could start doing that inventory with out anymore fear of my past
But a lot of hope and love in my future,
I thank God that he lead me thru this door of step three to His way of life I
hope you all can walk thru that door to the beginning of your recovery
God bless you Al M
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suggestions or comments
