Wisdom For Today - April

[bluidkiti]

April 4

Wisdom for Today
For a long period of time recovery seemed to be a long series of tasks that I didn’t want to do but needed to do and then waited to find out why. And in many ways this is exactly what recovery is meant to be. The Twelve Step program is a process of seeking continually to improve our lives and who we are. It is more about being on the path to our goal, rather than achieving it. It is tempting to begin and measure how long we have been clean and sober in years, but the truth is that none of us ever fully reaches our goals or is fully cured. Many of the steps seem to be difficult, and often times I wanted to avoid or skip over some of the steps. But I kept remembering the statement from the Big Book, “Half measures availed us nothing.”

It became more important to stick with the program and work through the steps than risk relapse. Over time I began to see the effects of the program in my life. The promises started to come true in my life. I was changing, and life was getting better. It then became easier to want to sit back and rest. Then I discovered there could be no long rest stops. I needed to keep working the steps in all situations that I faced in my life. My addiction was only held in check by continuing to work my program one day at a time. Am I continuing to work on improving my life in recovery?
Meditations for the Heart
Most projects in life require some preparation before actually doing the work. This is certainly the case in recovery. Each of us in the program did the preparation work necessary to become members of the program. Our addiction earned us a place at meetings. Each step in the program prepares us for the next. Each meeting I attend prepares me for the events of my life. For a long time I heard people at meetings say, “Take what works and leave the rest.” I know in part this statement refers to maintaining confidentiality and anonymity, but it didn’t tell me how to use what I had heard. Then one day I heard someone say this statement differently. He said, “Take what works and store the rest.” I liked this concept. It meant that everything I heard at meetings could be saved and used when it was needed. Today I see meetings as a way to stay prepared for whatever cards I am dealt in life. Am I storing the knowledge I hear at meetings?
Petitions to my Higher Power
God,

Thank You for welcoming me into a new day. Let me take this day and use it to accomplish any task that You set before me. Help me to increase my willingness and to find courage to move ahead when I am called on to do so. Let me seize every opportunity to make progress that is given me.

Amen.