Today's Thought - August
 

August 1

The love of God is passionate. He pursues each of us even when we know it not.

~William Wordsworth

A woman at a meeting of adult children recently told of a deal she had made with God. She promised God she would stop smoking if God would help her son get off drugs. A lively discussion ensued. Most were of the belief that God doesn’t bargain—not because God isn’t sympathetic, but because He has already given that which we try to bargain for.

Isn’t that a wondrous truth? God already loves our loved ones even more than we do. And because God loves them, they have already been gifted with everything they need. Why do we imagine that we need to manipulate God? God is doing everything, short of interfering with our free will, to assist us and our loved ones along the road to recovery and freedom.

As long as it may take and as hard as it may be, we need to accept the incredible fact that the prize is already won, and all we need to do is open up and receive it.

Today, I weigh the love I feel for my family members, and I am comforted to know they are loved even more by God.

Today's reading is from the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy, Daily Meditations for Adult Children

August 2

Being a good manager doesn’t mean managing someone else’s life!

Some of us sharing these meetings mistakenly thought we were supposed to manage everyone and everything. We managed children and spouses, and when we could, neighbors, co-workers, and friends. And we saw our ability to manage other people’s lives as proof of our worthiness. Letting others manage themselves, however, is the real asset, and working on its development takes perseverance.

The appeal of managing others is clearly to protect ourselves. When we can’t count on them to do what we want without our input, then we must get involved. Unfortunately, over the years many people let us manage them. Oftentimes their alcoholism or other drug dependence opened the door to us. We took this as a sign that we were needed. Learning now that we are needed, but not to manage others, is a challenging lesson.

I won’t manage others’ lives today. I can offer suggestions to others, if asked, but I will only manage myself.

Today's reading is from the book A Life of My Own, Meditations on Hope and Acceptance

August 3

Similar to love, forgiveness, and trust, respect is not something we can really engender from others until we have, ourselves, consumed from this special wellspring. What are the most important elements involved in respecting ourselves? We look up to, and think highly of, who we are inside and how our positive qualities manifest in the outer world. We honor our own esteem and treat with reverence our very existence. We admire our being, because of—and in spite of—our imperfections.

Respect permeates thoughts, feelings, and actions toward oneself or another. And most important, it is the foundation of us walking our talk. When we live a life that embraces respect, we keep our word to ourselves. In order for a hero to inspire the respect of others, he must be worthy, possess a certain dignity, and consistently act in ways that are in line with his values. Respect conjures images of politeness, civility, courtesy, being well mannered and friendly—all qualities worthy of cultivation. But this social veneer is less important than the more essential essence of being thoughtful, sensitive, and considerate. More than the demands of a polite society, respect speaks to a genuine, open-hearted caring for other humans.

I fill the well of self-respect when I do what I say I will do.

Today's reading is from the book Cornerstones, Daily Meditations for the Journey into Manhood and Recovery

August 4

Solving Problems

Problems are made to be solved!

Some of us spend more time reacting to the fact that we have a problem than we do solving the problem. “Why is this happening to me?” … “Isn’t life awful?” … “How come this had to happen?” … “Oh, dear. This is terrible.” … “Why is God (the Universe, an agency, a person, or life) picking on me?”

Problems are inevitable. Some problems can be anticipated. Some are surprises. But the idea that problems occur regularly need never be a surprise.

The good news is that for every problem, there’s a solution. Sometimes the solution is immediate. Sometimes, it takes a while to discover. Sometimes, the solution involves letting go. Sometimes, the problem is ours to solve; sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes, there is something we can clearly do to solve the problem; other times, we need to struggle, flounder, do our part, then trust our Higher Power for help.

Sometimes, the problem is just part of life. Sometimes, the problem is important because we are learning something through the problem and its solution. Sometimes, problems end up working out for good in our life. They get us headed in a direction that is superior to one we may otherwise have taken.

Sometimes, problems just are; sometimes they are a warning sign that we are on the wrong track.

We can learn to accept problems as an inevitable part of life. We can learn to solve problems. We can learn to trust our ability to solve problems. We can learn to identify which problems are trying to lead us in a new direction, and which simply ask for solving.

We can learn to focus on the solution rather than on the problem, and maintain a positive attitude toward life and the inevitable flow of problems and solutions.

Today, I will learn to trust solutions, rather than be victimized by problems.

Today's reading is from the book The Language of Letting Go, Daily Meditations on Codependency

August 5

Reflection for the Day

In a letter to a friend, AA cofounder Bill W. wrote, “I don’t think happiness or unhappiness is the point. How do we meet the problems we face? How do we best learn from them and transmit what we have learned to others, if they would receive the knowledge? In my view, we of this world are pupils in a great school of life. It is intended that we try to grow, and that we try to help our fellow travelers to grow in the kind of love that makes no demands. When pain comes, we are expected to learn from it willingly, and help others to learn. When happiness comes, we accept it as a gift, and thank God for it.” Can I accept both pain and happiness willingly?
Today I Pray

Higher Power, please help me remember that everything that happens to me has its worth, including the misery of addiction. May I believe that even my dependence was part of my Higher Power’s Grand Scheme.
Today I Will Remember

All that I am is all that has happened to me.

Today's reading is from the book A Day at a Time, Daily Reflections for Recovering People

August 5

We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we can find in our travels is an honest friend.

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Addiction destroyed many of our relationships. It took away our ability to get close to others. The above quotation reminds us that real friends are more important than the people we hung around with while using alcohol or drugs.

Recovery is all about bettering our relationships. Our lives depend upon this. We find honest friends in recovery. We are not alone anymore. We are honest with each other about character defects and work to help each other have better, ever-closer relationships. Our lives also depend upon this. We work to help each other find a way out of the wilderness or at times just survive in the wilderness. Over time, we see that, even though people can be a pain at times, friendships and relationships are the best things in life.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, teach me how to be a good, honest friend. Comfort me as I travel in the wilderness of life.
Today's Action

Today I will think about what makes a good friend. Then I will do an honest inventory of what type of friend I am. Am I there for others in the bad times as well as the good times?

Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me, More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple

August 7

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

~Goethe

When our ability to participate again in life is restored through recovery, we also rediscover the gift of commitment. Maybe the commitment is to raising a child, doing a job we love, earning a degree, or working on a special relationship. It is a moment of wonder when we have something in our lives that requires the best we have to give.

During times of doubt or struggle, we may question what we’ve gotten ourselves into. But an activity or a person to which we give ourselves wholly and freely is evidence of our Higher Power in our lives. If the commitment is to something God has asked us to do, we can know absolutely that God will help us take care of it. The time we need will come, money will come, support will come, and the energy and enthusiasm we need will come. Although it may appear that things are simply going our way, we can trust God is giving them to us so our task can be accomplished.

Today offers me a wonderful opportunity to fulfill my commitments in peace and grace. I am being looked after.

Today's reading is from the book Answers in the Heart, Daily Meditations for Men and Women Recovering from Sex Addiction

August 8

Seven days without a meeting makes one weak.

~Anonymous

The amount of time we invested in our addiction over the years was considerable. We spent countless hours feeding our addiction, thinking about feeding it, and trying to recover from the episode. A great investment of time was made.

We need to consider the idea that a tremendous amount of time invested in recovery is a wise choice. This disease of ours has deep wounds. Healing will take time. Just because we put the substance or behavior down does not mean they will put us down. Our program describes them as cunning, baffling, and powerful. Some old-timers add patient, too.

The point is made in many cases that those who don’t spend the time, don’t make it. Ours is not a solitary fellowship. We don’t work our program alone. The meetings we attend are very important to us.

I will put as much energy into my meeting attendance as I once put into my active addiction.

Today's reading is from the book Easy Does It, A Book of Daily Twelve Step Meditations

August 9

What you are is God’s gift to you; what you make of it is your gift to God.

~Anthony Dalla Villa

Many opportunities for growth and glory present themselves to us every day. Depending on how grateful we’re feeling, and how aware we are of the rhythms of the moment, we are able to either enjoy them or pass them by. With a quiet mind, free of ongoing inner conversations, we notice the moment’s opportunity and can know how God wants us to use our talents to meet it. While none of us can always employ our talents to the fullest, our best effort is its own reward.

Many of us still deny that we’re talented at all. But when we quiet our mind of habitual self-criticism, we see our opportunities and God-given talents. The quiet left by the silenced voices makes room for the inner strength we’ve always had to seize our opportunities and use our talents.

Our life has purpose or we wouldn’t be here. For most of us, that purpose is far from complicated. We will know it easily when we turn to the stillness within.

Today will be as glorious as I quietly allow it to be.

Today's reading is from the book In God's Care, Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery

August 10

With each new day l put away the past and discover the new beginnings I have been given.

~Angela L Wozniak

We can't recapture what is no more. And the minutes or hours we spend dwelling on what was or should have been only steal away from all that presently is. Today stands before us with promise. The opportunities for growth are guaranteed, as is all the spiritual help we need to handle any situation the day offers.

If today offers us a challenge, we can be grateful. Our challenges are gifts. They mean we are ready to move ahead to new awarenesses, to a new sense of our womanhood. Challenges force us to think creatively; they force us to turn to others; they demand that we change. Without challenges, we'd stagnate, enjoying life little, offering life nothing.

We each are making a special contribution, one that only we can make, each time we confront a new situation with courage. Each time we dare to open a new door. What we need to do today is to close the door on yesterday. Then we can stand ready and willing to go forward.

This day awaits my full presence. I will be the recipient of its gifts.

Today's reading is from the book Each Day a New Beginning, Daily meditations for Women

August 11

To be tested is good. The challenged life may be the best therapist.

~Gail Sheehy

We don’t learn anything new from successfully doing things that we have already mastered. We learn from our mistakes and the obstacles that appear in our path. They call on us to come up with new skills. We have certainly come to this path after facing plenty of challenges. And we know that a problem doesn’t guarantee that growth will be the outcome.

A problem or a challenge can simply be a net loss until we turn it into an opportunity for growth. If we make a mistake and simply feel stuck in shame and regret, it leads to nothing more. But if we have an element of faith, we can look for its message. That is the path to greater strength and maturity.

Today, I will notice my mistakes and use them to grow.

Today's reading is from the book Stepping Stones, More Daily Meditations for Men

August 12

AA Thought for the Day

For a while, we are going back to the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, and pick out passages here and there, so that they may become fixed in our minds, a little at a time, day by day, as we go along. There is no substitute for reading the Big Book. It is our “bible.” We should study it thoroughly and make it a part of ourselves. We should not try to change any of it. Within its covers is the full exposition of the AA program. There is no substitute for it. We should study it often. Have I studied the Big Book faithfully?
Meditation for the Day

All of life is a fluctuation between effort and rest. You need both every day. But effort is not truly effective until first you have had the proper preparation for it, by resting in a time of quiet meditation. This daily time of rest and meditation gives you the power necessary to make your best effort. There are days when you are called on for much effort and then comes a time when you need much rest. It is not good to rest too long and it is not good to carry on great effort too long without rest. The successful life is a proper balance between the two.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be ready to make the proper effort. I pray that I may also recognize the need for relaxation.

Today's reading is from the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day, A Spiritual Resource with Practical Applications for Daily Life

August 13

There is surely a piece of divinity in us, something that was before the elements…

~Sir Thomas Browne

One definition of divinity in the dictionary is "supreme excellence." It also means "god-like character" and "divine nature."

Doesn't that describe someone we love? When we are in love with someone, we see only the best of that person—it's impossible to see anything else. That person is "divine," we say, perfect for us, because he or she loves us and is loveable.

Each one of us has a part that is divine. We see it occasionally in others, and they see it in us when they love us. We can draw on that divine part of every person for strength and hope and courage and faith and love. There is wonderful, mysterious beauty in all of us, even when we behave badly.

What divinity do I see in those around me right now?

Today's reading is from the book Today's Gift, Daily Meditations for Families

August 14

There are times we must grab God’s hand and walk forward.

~Anonymous

Sometimes we struggle with being part of the problem, instead of being part of the solution. Inside we know this, but somehow we can’t “Let go and let God.”

To let go takes faith that the outcome will be okay. When we have faith, we know our Higher Power believes in us and will guide us. When we have faith, we believe in ourselves. When we let go, we let go of our need to always be right. Letting go first takes place on the inside. Letting go allows us to change how we view what’s happening. Often, all we really need is this change of attitude. This is the beauty of faith: it allows us to see the same thing in different ways.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, permit me to let go. Let me see that believing in You must also mean believing in myself.
Action for the Day

I will review my life since entering the Twelve Step program. I will work at seeing what good partners my Higher Power and I make.

Today's reading is from the book Keep it Simple, Daily Meditations for Twelve Step Beginnings and Renewal

August 15

To be a man means to be a fellow man.

~Leo Baeck

Sometimes we become overburdened with frustration and disappointment in our lives. When we turn inward and focus only on our problems, we may be cutting ourselves off from the healing effect of contact with others. Today, there may be a new group member who would appreciate a phone call from us. Perhaps we could visit an aged person or someone who is sick. Help is always needed in providing food to the hungry. Perhaps a co-worker would welcome our assistance on a task or errand.

When we help others, we affirm our solidarity with them in their stress and suffering. We don’t give help because we are better or without problems of our own, but because we suffer too. When we act as fellow men, the comradeship and human contact we get provide us with as much help as we give. They liberate us from our own oppressive egos and help us see that we are worthwhile men.

I affirm myself as a man when I stand in solidarity with others and help them in their need.

Today's reading is from the book Touchstones, A Book of Daily Meditations for Men