Let’s always remember that recovery is freedom, not bondage. Our friend was simply making a law for himself by believing he was blocked from this field. Many alcoholics do return to their former employment upon recovery. One person, for example, often told his friends that he could not return to his former profession in sales because “nobody want to hire an alcoholic salesman.”īut it is not written anywhere that firms will not gladly welcome a capable sales associate who is recovering. It’s usually a mistake to think that our problem means forfeiture of opportunities. Recovering People should be able to do anything within their capabilities. We should not, however, put more limitations on ourselves than might be required by our situation. We can neither think nor act to good purpose until the habit of self-restraint has become automatic.īeing human means that we’re subject to all the laws and limitations that apply to human beings. When we are tempted by the bait, we should train ourselves to step back and think. These are emotional booby traps baited with pride and vengeful emotions. We must avoid quick-tempered criticism, furious power-driven argument, sulking, and silent scorn. Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen. These “dry benders’ often led straight to the bottle. Anger, that occasional luxury of more balanced people, could keep us on an emotional jag indefinitely. As we saw it, our wrath was always justified. Nor were we ever skillful in separating justified from unjustified anger. A burst of temper could spoil a day, and a well-nursed grudge could make us miserably ineffective. I pray that I may only expect this from God, as I try to grow more like Him.įew people have been more victimized by resentments than have we alcoholics. I pray that I may not expect complete understanding from others. Your motives and aspirations can only be understood by those who have attained the same spiritual level as you have. So also can God recognize His own spirit in you. You can often see in others those qualities and aspirations that you yourself possess. That is our reason for existence, to grow more and more like God, to develop more and more the spirit of God within you. He sees you growing more and more like Himself. God sees, as no one can see, what is within you. We find an outlet for our energies in helping other people. We find release from our troubles and worries through a new way of looking at things. We find new relationships with our families, so that we are happy at home. We find new friends, so that we are no longer lonely. Having gotten over drinking, we have only just begun to enjoy the benefits of A.A. I need the Fifth Step to learn true humility. If I cannot share in meetings, then I had better have a sponsor - someone with whom I can share those “certain facts” that could lead me back to a drunk, to death. It is easier for me to accept myself if I share my whole life. I no longer need to be the “smartest” or “dumbest” or any other “est.” Finally, it is okay to be me. Humility sounds so much like humiliation, but it really is the ability to look at myself - and honestly accept what I find. Just for Today: I will pray only for knowledge of God's will and the power to carry that out in the real world.Ģ007-2023, NA World Services, Inc.Time after time newcomers have tried to keep to themselves certain facts about their lives … they have turned to easier methods.But they had not learned enough humility. Confining our prayers to requests for knowledge of God's will, the power to carry it out, and the ability to live with the consequences will ensure that we get no more than we can handle. We earn rewards and learn to handle them as we do. When we talk to God, we need to remember that we live in the real world. Are we prepared to care for what we've asked for?Īcademic honors? Could we perform like A students after we'd been given high marks we hadn't earned? What would we do if we were exposed as frauds? What about that fantastic new car? Most come with expensive insurance premiums and hefty maintenance costs. What would we do with a huge salary raise that had been granted for no reason? How would we handle our new financial responsibilities? And how would we live up to that raise? Could we ever make it appear that we deserve such pay when we know we don't?

Now imagine the problems that come along with unearned riches, new luxury cars, and unmerited scholastic recognition. A fabulous new car, straight As, a triple salary raise-all ours without effort, just for the asking. Imagine what might happen if God gave us everything we wanted. That way, we get only what we are capable of handling.'

' We begin to pray only for God's will for us. Just for Today Meditation December 01, 2023

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