Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - December

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December 21

Step by Step

“Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, Step Seven

Today, let me not be too eager to take the vital Seventh Step for, if I act prematurely, the defects I ask to be removed but am not truly willing to surrender may come back and bite me in the form of a slip or relapse. Step Seven is the culmination of the previous three Steps in which we first make our “searching and fearless moral inventory,” and then admit “the exact nature of our wrongs” to “God, to ourselves and to another human being.” But the Sixth Step may pack the most potent punch in that it requires us to be “entirely ready” to have the Higher Power of our understanding remove our shortcomings. If today is the one I decide to take the Seventh Step, grant that I be genuinely ready so that I may not later take back a defect that could be yet another downfall. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M.

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~ A YEAR OF MIRACLES ~ (Meditations Written by Members of Nicotine Anonymous) ~

Show up, pay attention, tell the truth and don’t be attached to the outcome.

~ ANGELES ARRIEN ~

As the winter solstice approaches and the days become shorter, I am reminded of the darkness that seemed to grip me with increasing strength in the final days of my active addiction: the social ostracism; the fear, anxiety and worry over the harm I was causing myself physically; the utter hopelessness I felt about ever being able to quit.

I feared living without my constant companion. I anticipated that life without nicotine would be impossible. But the solstice teaches me that this projection was unwarranted. Just when it seems the darkness will never end, there comes a turning point when the days become longer and warmer. Just as I anticipated that life would be unbearable without nicotine, recovery teaches me that life can filled with so much goodness, beyond my wildest dreams.

Today, I choose to live in anticipation that light inevitably follows darkness.

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~ EASY DOES IT ~ (A Book of Daily 12 Step Meditations) ~

SERVICE

In about the same degree as you are helpful, you will be happy.

~ Karl Reiland ~

The service work we are called to do in Step Twelve is a result of our spiritual awakening. When most of us thought of service, we thought of restaurant help, chores around the house, washing windows. The thought of service was burdensome if not downright irritating. We probably schemed throughout our lives to do as little service as possible. Every moment we gave to someone else was one less moment we could spend on ourselves. This stands to reason, for we were totally self-centered. Even those of us who acted as if’ we cared normally received much more than we ever gave.

The 12 Step way of life produces “other-centeredness.” We, by the grace of God, care less about ourselves and more about our fellows.

When I pass on my recovery, I keep it. This spiritual paradox becomes an all-determining reality for me, that to keep what I have found, I must give it away. Service becomes a way of life.

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~ WISDOM TO KNOW ~ (More Daily Meditations For Men) ~

God brought light out of darkness, not out of lesser light;
God can bring thy summer out of winter, though thou have no spring.
All occasions invite God’s mercies, and all times are God’s seasons.

~ John Donne ~

Despair has been no stranger to many of us. We recall times when all spirit and all hope seemed to evaporate. We may still be subject to dark moods. In our bleakest moments, we wonder where to turn for hope. We may see no reason for optimism as we look at our situation. In those difficult times we are most in need of the support of God, our Higher Power. The greatest spiritual teachers and all the world’s great religions tell us that God is present to those most in need.

In our darkest hours, God is with us, within us, beside us, supporting us. Perhaps we experience the presence of God in a call to a friend, a bird lighting on a branch, or a beautiful song on the radio. And out of darkness comes light. Today’s difficulties are only one moment in the flow of our lives and they will change.

Today is another occasion that invites God’s mercies. 

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~ A WOMAN’S SPIRIT ~ (More Meditations For Women) ~

We get love, assistance, and companionship in our relationships; we must each find our purpose and our strength in our own soul.

~ Jane Nakken ~

Relationships offer us not only opportunities to express love but also experiences that develop a full range of emotions. We learn about anger and forgiveness. We experience joy and self-pity. We cultivate trust and learn to live with occasional fear. Without relationships we’d live colorless, shallow lives.

Relationships reveal our character, our values. People come to know us by how we react to friends and strangers, by our willingness to let others travel their own path, by our decision to be guided by our inner voice rather than the prodding of others. Others’ responses also help us know who we are. We may learn more about ourselves from how others respond to us than from any other source.

I will notice how others respond to me today. I’ll discover who they think I am by how they treat me.

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~ TODAY I WILL DO ONE THING ~ (Daily Readings for Awareness and Hope) ~

I can do one positive thing today

For a long time I was stuck in a rut. I kept having symptoms, getting high, cutting back, then having symptoms again—over and over. I had little strength or desire to change my ways. Doing anything different was frightening.

Even with some time in dual recovery I still find that change is hard, but it’s getting easier. What helps the most is when I manage to do one small thing different in my life—just one thing—that I set out to do that day Then I feel that I am making change, making progress. Change happens one step at a time. My task is to keep taking these steps, however small.

I will write down one small thing I can do today to make change in my life—and then do it.

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~ BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT ~ (Inspiration and Support for Recovery) ~

Friendship is a sheltering tree.

~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge ~

It’s difficult to imagine a sadder, lonelier life than one without friends. A friend is someone we can laugh and cry with, get mad at the world with, and share our most secret thoughts with. When trouble comes, a friend is someone we can turn to for help without fear of being turned away or judged.

One of the ironies of addiction is that it tends to destroy healthy friendships while it creates unhealthy ones. In alcoholism for instance, when our friends stopped calling us because of our drinking, our other “friend,” the bottle, always seemed to be there.

Recovery is the time to say goodbye to this and other unhealthy friendships and make new ones. It may be scary to let go because we may not know what life will be like without addiction. It is a leap of faith. The good news is that there are lots of other people who have made these changes and are now happier than ever before. Our Twelve Step groups are gatherings of friends who have a common purpose and goal and are willing to go to any means to attain that goal— sobriety. These friends are there to help us attain and maintain the same goal, one day at a time. That’s what real friendship is all about.

Today I am grateful for friends. Help me never to take them for granted, and when I am ready and able, may I be a friend to others.

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~ MORNING LIGHT ~ (Meditations to Begin Your Day) ~

There seems to be so much more winter than we need this year.

~ Kathleen Norris ~

The shortest day and longest night of the year is known as winter solstice. It signals the gradual lengthening of light in the days to come and the approach of spring. But when you are stuck in the midst of winter, you may find it hard to believe the renewal of spring lies ahead. You may have the tendency to shut yourself off from people. You may have less interest in attending meetings. You may feel overwhelmed by the pressure and stress of the holidays. Or you may just generally feel out of sorts.

The winter offers you opportunities to strengthen your resiliency. You have faced tough times in the past and survived them. Use this knowledge to survive any dark periods in the present.

Strive to maintain a positive attitude. Understand that you have the strength and commitment to face any challenge. Nurture yourself. Pay attention to your needs. Set aside time each day to engage in enjoyable activities. And utilize prayer and meditation to strengthen your spiritual connection. By doing these things now, you will be that much stronger in the days that lie ahead.

Winter is a time in which I can grow toward renewed.

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~ NIGHT LIGHT ~ (A Book Of Nighttime Meditations) ~

It usually happened … particularly at the beginning of a holiday. Then, when I was hoping for nothing but sleep and peace, the chattering echoes of recent concerns would race through my head, and the more I sought rest the more I could not find it.

~ Joanna Field ~

Stress, anxiety, fear, and worry are especially dominant before holidays. The upcoming family events, gift exchange, cooking, and scheduling seem to take precedence. Yet there are ways to find peace and serenity amidst all the excitement.

Instead of focusing on things we don’t like about the upcoming holiday season, we can focus on things we do like. Such things may be as simple as: “I’m looking forward to seeing my sister,” or “I like receiving cards from old friends,” or “I like the snow on the pine trees.”

We can have a nice time this season by putting energy into the things we enjoy. We can go to many meetings, make plans with close friends or our sponsor, and meditate to keep calm and serene. Tonight we can put the stress of the upcoming holidays to rest by remembering ourselves first. 

How can I use the program to relax my thoughts tonight?

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~ DAY BY DAY ~ (Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts) ~

Knowing God loves us

No matter how bad we abused drugs, no matter how desperate we became, our Higher Power still gave us the opportunity to recover. We need never think that opportunity has passed us by. Our Higher Power’s grace is limitless.

We must never feel that it’s too late or that we have failed too often to be able to turn to our Higher Power. It loves us, and it is loving us now, today, always. All things are possible with our Higher Power, and it will always give us life and love unless we choose otherwise.

Can I feel my Higher Power’s love now?

May I know that any day is an acceptable day to seek love and forgiveness from my Higher Power.

I will choose my Higher Power’s love today by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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~ IF YOU WANT WHAT WE HAVE ~ (Sponsorship Meditations) ~

I graduated first in my class from alibi school.

~ JEFFREY McDANIEL ~

Newcomer

I still have the bad habit of over explaining my reasons when I’m saying no to someone. I feel guilty. I still can’t tell the simple truth, if I know that I’m going to disappoint someone.

Sponsor

When we were active in our addictions, shame and guilt were a part of every day, especially where our interactions with other people were concerned. When we acted out our addictions in spite of repeated resolutions and promises, we disappointed ourselves and those with whom our lives were interwoven. It seemed easier to invent excuses than to face our inability to say no, our inability to show up for everything we’d agreed to do.

Now that we’re in recovery, we’re learning how we want to spend our time and what is realistic to expect of ourselves. Our old habit of providing alibis may not have left us yet, however. We may feel the need to explain and elaborate because we don’t yet feel fully entitled to have needs and desires of our own; whatever someone asks of us, we think we should take on.

The need for excuses gradually leaves us as our tolerance and understanding of ourselves grow. We become more practical about what our schedules and energies allow us to undertake, more authentic about what we ourselves want, as we come to know and esteem ourselves in recovery.

Today, I need no alibi for simply being myself.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

If the purpose of living is to live so that our lives will be more like that Divine Example that God has disclosed to us, then only our deeds in life can serve as our advocate at the bar of Infinite Justice.

It will be our deeds that will speak for or against us, and we will be judged worthy and well qualified only if our actions so testify.

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~ WALK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG BOOK ~ (Official & Unofficial Sloganeering From the 12 Step Programs) ~

1) Working with Others: Carry the message, not the junkie.

2) STANDARD ACRONYMS: YET: You’re Eligible Too

3) Al-Anon: Let it go, it was never yours to begin with.

by Shelly Marshall

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~ The 12 STEP PRAYER BOOK ~ (A Collection of Favorite 12 Step Prayers and Inspirational Readings) ~

To Grow and Blossom

Lord, I mourn the loss of my innocence. By sharing my experiences, I hope to recapture it. Lord, I long to feel more, trust more, laugh more, and live life fully. Show me the way, God. I thank You for my renewed sanity and my sobriety. When I have both, I can grow and blossom. Everyone in my family, the Fellowship, and my neighborhood can benefit from my peace.

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~ AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX ~ (A Book of Daily Readings) ~

STOP LIMITING GOD

The principal reason why prayers are not answered is because in our hearts we limit the power of God. The Bible constantly tells us that the people got into trouble because they limited the Holy One. When you say, “There is no way out of my difficulty,” what can it possibly mean except that you cannot see a way out? When you say, “It is too late now,” what can that possibly mean except that it is too late for you?

When you pray you are turning to the power of God and surely you will admit that God is omnipotent, and therefore nothing can be too difficult, or too late, or too soon for Him. You will surely admit that Infinite Wisdom knows at least more than you do, to put the thing rather mildly. Well, Infinite Wisdom takes action when we pray and so our own limitations do not matter—unless we think they do.

Children often find themselves completely overcome by a difficulty that a grown-up person easily solves. What to the child seems an impossibility is quite easy to his father, and so even our greatest difficulties are simple to God.

Infinite Wisdom knows a beautiful and joyous solution to any dilemma. Do not limit the power of God for good in your life.

. . . Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver?. . . (Isaiah 50:2). 

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~ A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE ~ (365 Daily Inspirations for Heart-Centered Living) ~

Cash Flow

Do what you love and the money will follow.

~ Marsha Sinetar ~

“I had a well-paying job, but I couldn’t pay my bills,” Cindy told “I didn’t understand how I could be making so much money and not make ends meet. Then I realized that the only thing I liked about the job was the salary. I did not enjoy going to work, and I daydreamed about all kinds of other things that were more fulfilling to me. Suddenly, I realized that my money problems were tied to my levels of integrity and joy. My internal energy was clogged by being in a place I did not love, and so the external current of abundance and energy, represented by my cash flow, was also obstructed. I decided to follow my heart and trust Spirit to take care of me. I quit my job and immediately became happier. I haven’t had a cash-flow problem since I quit.”

What is happening in your financial world is a reflection of what is happening in your consciousness. If you are in a state of joy, celebration, and the awareness that you live in an abundant universe, you will manifest those conditions. If you feel internally plugged up, empty, and under-supported, you will see those energies mirrored in your checkbook.

The key to abundance is to get your priorities in order. Prosperity begins with a state of mind, not a bankbook figure. When I began to write, I did so out of joy and delight; making money was not my goal. My readers wanted to tap into that consciousness, and more money flowed to me. Then I generated higher expenses and began to think about what I could do to make more money. Immediately, my creativity jammed up, and the money scene stagnated. Then I remembered how I began; I retraced my steps to my initial motif of writing for fulfillment and service, and the money flow increased. It is a poor idea to make money for money’s sake, and a great idea to ask, “What would I love to do?” and “How can I serve?”

Forget about your bankbook balance, and return to balance with the universe; the bankbook will come along well enough.

Help me remember that all the riches of the universe are within me.

I live from love, and the universe responds instantly and abundantly.