After we've made a surrender, the drink problem is out of our hands and in the hands of God. The thing we have to do is to be sure that we never reach out and take the problem back into our own hands. Leave it in God's hands. Whenever I'm tempted to take a drink, I must say to my self: "I can't do that. I've made a bargain with God not to drink. I know God doesn't want me to drink and so I won't do it." At the same time I say a little prayer to God for the strength needed to keep the bargain with Him. Am I going to keep my bargain with God?
Meditation for the Day
I will try to grow in this new life. I will think of spiritual things often and unconsciously I will grow. The nearer I get to the new life, the more I will see my unfitness. My sense of failure is a sure sign that I am growing in the new life. It is only struggle that hurts. In sloth-physical, mental, or spiritual-there is no sense of failure or discomfort. With struggle and effort, I am conscious not of strength but of weakness until I am really living the new life. But in the struggle, I can always rely on the power of God to help me.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may see signs of my growth in the new life. I pray that I may always keep trying to grow.
__________________
Life is short..Live it sober to the fullest...One day at a time...
While driving one day, a womans attention focused on the license plate of the car ahead. The license read: B WHO UR. How can I? she thought. I dont know who I am!
Some of us may have felt confused when people encouraged us to be ourselves. How could we know ourselves, or be who we are, when, for years, many of us submerged ourselves in the needs of others?
We do have a self. Were discovering more about ourselves daily. Were learning were deserving of love.
Were learning to accept ourselves, as we are for the present moment - to accept our feelings, thoughts, flaws, wants, needs, and desires. If our thoughts or feelings are confused, we accept that too.
To be who we are means we accept our past - our history - exactly as is.
To be ourselves means we are entitled to our opinions and beliefs - for the present moment and subject to change. We accept our limitations and our strengths.
To be who we are means we accept our physical selves, as well as our mental, emotional, and spiritual selves, for now. Being who we are in recovery means we take that acceptance one step further. We can appreciate our history and ourselves.
Being whom we are, loving and accepting ourselves, is not a limiting attitude. Accepting and loving ourselves is how we enable growth and change.
__________________
Life is short..Live it sober to the fullest...One day at a time...
Wow it is pretty early to be reading this. Some of it, is really glaring back at me. What you wrote about Self-Love, I do not believe that I have ever really felt Self-Love. I do know what it means to love God with all my heart, and i put my Trust in Him, that he will continue to guide me on a daily basis in my life. I can say that I also sometimes can feel the Love of God in my life. And in a very mysterious way I do know that is connected to Alcoholic Anonymous.
The "I am" was never strong in my life, something to do with not knowing who i was when I was younger. As I peeled away that "onion", with the help of years in AA, and therapy, I was finally free to let my "self-hate" go, very slowly, but also very surly.
So many of come into this Program, have to go deeper than the years of drinking too much, almost over our own dead bodies to some of us come in to the Loving room of AA, and do the work required to regain our lives. One of God's Blessings many years ago, was to find a woman that specialized to PTSD, that had a Phd. in Spirituality. It took many years of of very difficult work, to tap into and eliminate the deepest feelings of not being lovable. But the reversal of Self-Hatred did not turn into Self Love, it turned into Loving God, and Trusting God to bring me into a place of acceptance for who I am. i do have the "I am" now, but self-love is very illusive to me.
And so in today, my sense of self is directly connected to my own sense of "Where do I stand in my Spiritual Life". Has nothing ever to do with other people places and things, but with my own family and loved ones, how do I appreciate them, how do I show them active love. And even sometimes what comes first, is how am I doing in the Compassionate, and Kindness areas of working with, in my opinion, very fragile and beautiful new people in this Program, am I asking God to show me the way, the words that may find a shaking, trembling hand and offer mine.
God's work is here on this Forum, and in the Meeting rooms of A.A. That part is crystal clear, and this Program is where I learned that. If I am doing o.k. in the above there is a direct connection to a feeling of Self-Worth. I will take that any day over Self-Love, am I taking care of myself, nurturing myself and being kind to myself, leaving the self-judging garbage in the garbage can each day.
Just as we take what we want and leave the rest, I believe it begins at home, each morning. Starts with look at what I need to keep, and what needs to be discarded. Asking for His Help in this each morning, and Gratitude for the my life today, remembering to wear life like a loose garment.
I appreciate all of you that participate in this Forum, and it Humbles me on a daily basis.
Thanks for listening this morning, and wish you all a Good Friday.
Love,Toni
P.S. I guess it is all semanics, but I always have put "Self-Love in the Ego Department" I've known too many people that REALLY Love themselves, and I don't really care for them. certainly is not something I want to learn. Self-esteem, yes, Self-worth, yes. Love others, yes, Self-love???????? I think i will be o.k., if I don't "get it"
