12 Step Spiritual quotes & readings
| Feel free to post any of this months readings or spiritual quotes you connect with in the comment section. Monday 1st February through to Sunday 28th February. |
| Feel free to post any of this months readings or spiritual quotes you connect with in the comment section. Monday 1st February through to Sunday 28th February. |
Sheila
February 1
Daily Reflections
GOAL: SANITY
“…Step Two gently and very gradually began to
infiltrate my life. I can’t say upon what occasion or
on what day I came to believe in a power greater than
myself, but I certainly have that belief now.”
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 27
“Came to believe!” I gave lip service to my belief when
I felt like it or when I thought it would look good. I
didn’t really trust God. I didn’t believe He cared for
me. I kept trying to change things I couldn’t change.
Gradually, in disgust, I began to turn it all over,
saying: “You’re so omnipotent, you take care of it.” He
did. I began to receive answers to my deepest problems,
sometimes at the most unusual times: driving to work,
eating lunch, or when I was sound asleep. I realized
that I hadn’t thought of those solutions–a Power greater
than myself had given them to me. I came to believe.
Carly (New York)
Keep It Simple
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.—Step Two
The Second Step directs us to believe there is hope for us. It may take time to believe this. Many of us had given up hope. But look around. Hope fills our meeting rooms. We are surrounded by miracles. This Power greater than ourselves has healed many. Listen as others tell their stories. They speak of how powerful this Power is. At times, we will not believe. This is normal But in recovery ,”coming to believe” means opening ourselves up to healing power found in the program.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, allow me to believe Help me to stay open to recovery.
Action for the Day: I will list three examples of my past insanity. I will share these examples with my group, sponsor, a program friend, or with my Higher Power. I will remember that I’m a miracle.
Suzy :) Just for today
NA Just For Today
Hardships
” We felt different… Only after surrender are we able to overcome the alienation of addiction.”
Basic Text p. 22
” But you don’t understand!” we spluttered, trying to cover up. “I’m different! I’ve really got it rough!” We used these lines over and over in our active addiction, either trying to escape the consequences of our actions or avoid following the rules that applied to everyone else. We may have cried them at our first meeting. Perhaps we’ve even caught ourselves whining them recently.
So many of us feel different or unique. As addicts, we can use almost anything to alienate ourselves. But there’s no excuse for missing out on recovery, nothing that can make us ineligible for the program—not a life-threatening illness, not poverty, not anything. There are thousands of addicts who have found recovery despite the real hardships they’ve faced. Through working the program, their spiritual awareness has grown, in spite of—or perhaps in response to—those hardships.
Our individual circumstances and differences are irrelevant when it comes to recovery. By letting go of our uniqueness and surrendering to this simple way of life, we’re bound to find that we feel a part of something. And feeling a part of something gives us the strength to walk through life, hardships and all.
Just for today: I will let go of my uniqueness and embrace the principles of recovery I have in common with so many others. My hardships do not exclude me from recovery; rather, they draw me into it.
Georgie Girl xx
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
We got a kick out of the first few drinks, before we got stupefied by
alcohol. For a while, the world seemed to look brighter. But how
about the letdown, the terrible depression that comes the morning
after? In A.A., we get a real kick, not a false feeling of exhilaration,
but a real feeling of satisfaction with ourselves and self-respect. And
a feeling of friendliness toward the world. We got a sort of pleasure
from drinking. For a while we thought we were happy. But it’s only an
illusion. The hangover the next day is the opposite of pleasure. In
A.A., am I getting real pleasure and serenity and peace?
Meditation For The Day
I will practice love, because lack of love will block the way. I will try
to see good in all people, those I like and also those who fret me and
go against the grain. They are all children of God. I will try to give
love, otherwise how can I dwell in God’s spirit, whence nothing
unloving can come? I will try to get along with all people, because the
more love I give away, the more I will have.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may do all I can to love others, in spite of
their many faults. I pray that as I love, so will I be loved.
Charlie :)
Keep It Simple
Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.—Erma Bombeck
We often hear, “Stick with the winners.” Not everyone in Twelve Step meetings is there for recovery.. But many members follow a Twelve Step way of living. We need to find those people. This is really true when it comes to finding a sponsor. Look for a sponsor who gets good things from his or her program. Why pick a sponsor who isn’t happy in the program? Recovery is hard work. You deserve the best. Find the best sponsor you can. Remember, ours is a selfish program. we’re fighting for our lives.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me find the best in my program. Help me find a good sponsor, so we can get as much from each other and this program as we can.
Today’s Action: Today I’ll think about what it means to have a good sponsor.
Suzy :) Just for today
NA Just For Today
Feeling Good Isn’t The Point
“For us, recovery is more than just pleasure.”
Basic Text p. 42
In our active addiction, most of us knew exactly how we were going to feel from one day to the next. All we had to do was read the label on the bottle or know what was in the bag. We planned our feelings, and our goal for each day was to feel good.
In recovery, we’re liable to feel anything from one day to the next, even from one minute to the next. We may feel energetic and happy in the morning, then strangely let down and sad in the afternoon. Because we no longer plan our feelings for the day each morning, we could end up having feelings that are somewhat inconvenient, like feeling tired in the morning and wide-awake at bedtime.
Of course, there’s always the possibility we could feel good, but that isn’t the point. Today, our main concern is not feeling good but learning to understand and deal with our feelings, no matter what they are. We do this by working the steps and sharing our feelings with others.
Just for today: I will accept my feelings, whatever they may be, just as they are. I will practice the program and learn to live with my feelings.
California Colin :)
NA Just For Today
What Is A Sponsor?
“…an NA sponsor is a member of Narcotics Anonymous, living our program of
recovery, who is willing to build a special, supportive, one-on-one relationship
with us.”
IP No. 11, “Sponsorship, Revised”
What is a sponsor? You know: That nice person with whom you had coffee after
your first meeting. That generous soul who keeps sharing recovery experience
free of charge. The one who keeps amazing you with stunning insight regarding
your character defects. The one who keeps reminding you to finish your Fourth
Step, who listens to your Fifth Step, and who doesn’t tell anyone how weird you
are.
It’s pretty easy to start taking all this stuff for granted once we’re used to
someone being there for us. We may run wild for a while and tell ourselves,
“I’ll call my sponsor later, but right now I have to clean the house, go
shopping, chase that attractive.” And so we end up in trouble, wondering where
we went wrong.
Our sponsor can’t read minds. It’s up to us to reach out and ask for help.
Whether we need help with our steps, a reality check to help us straighten out
our screwy thinking, or just a friend, it’s our job to make the request.
Sponsors are warm, wise, wonderful people, and their experience with recovery is
ours — all we have to do is ask.
Just for today: I’m grateful for the time, the love, and the experience my
sponsor has shared with me. Today, I will call my sponsor.
Sheila
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
In the past, we kept right on drinking in spite of all the trouble we got
into. We were foolish enough to believe that drinking could still be fun
in spite of everything that happened to us. When we came into A.A.,
we found a lot of people who, like ourselves, had had fun with drinking,
but who now admitted that liquor had become nothing but trouble for
them. And when we found that this thing had happened to a lot of other
people besides ourselves, we realized that perhaps we weren’t such
odd ducks after all. Have I learned to admit that for me drinking has
ceased to be fun and has become nothing but trouble?
Meditation For The Day
The lifeline, the line of rescue, is the line from the soul to God. On one
end of the lifeline is our faith and on the other end is God’s power. It
can be a strong line and no soul can be overwhelmed who is linked to
God by it. I will trust in this lifeline and never be afraid. God will save
me from doing wrong and from the cares and troubles of life. I will
look to God for help and trust Him for aid when I am emotionally
upset.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that no lack of trust or fearfulness will make me disloyal to
God. I pray that I may keep a strong hold on the lifeline of faith.
Tracey
February 11
Daily Reflections
THE LIMITS OF SELF-RELIANCE
We asked ourselves why we had them [fears]. Wasn’t it
because self-reliance failed us?
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.68
All of my character defects separate me from God’s will.
When I ignore my association with Him I face the world
and my alcoholism alone and must depend on self-reliance.
I have never found security and happiness through
self-will and the only result is a life of fear and
discontent. God provides the path back to Him and to
His gift of security and comfort. First, however, I
must be willing to acknowledge my fears and understand
their source and power over me. I frequently ask God to
help me understand how I separate myself from Him.
Victoria
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Sometimes we can’t help thinking: Why can’t we ever drink
again? We know it’s because we’re alcoholics, but why did
we have to get that way? The answer is that at some point
in our drinking careers, we passed what is called our
“tolerance point.” When we passed this point, we passed
from a condition in which we could tolerate alcohol to a
condition in which we could not tolerate it at all. After
that, if we took one drink we would sooner or later end
up drunk. When I think of liquor now, do I think of it as
something that I can never tolerate again?
Meditation For The Day
In a race, it is when a goal is in sight that heart and
nerves and muscles and courage are strained almost to the
breaking point. So with us. The goal of the spiritual life
is in sight. All we need is the final effort. The saddest
records made by people are those who ran well, with brave
stout hearts, until the sight of the goal and then some
weakness or self-indulgence held them back. They never
knew how near the goal they were or how near they were to
victory.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may press on until the goal is reached.
I pray that I may not give up in the final stretch.
California Colin :)
NA Just For Today
The Ties That Bind
“As long as the ties that bind us together are stronger than those that would tear us apart, all will be well.”
Basic Text, p. 57
Many of us feel that without NA we would surely have died from our disease. Hence, its existence is our very lifeline. However, disunity is an occasional fact of life in Narcotics Anonymous; we must learn to respond in a constructive way to the destructive influences that sometimes arise in our fellowship. If we decide to be part of the solution instead of the problem, we are headed in the right direction.
Our personal recovery and the growth of NA is contingent upon maintaining an atmosphere of recovery in our meetings. Are we willing to help our group deal constructively with conflict? As group members, do we strive to work out difficulties openly, honestly, and fairly? Do we seek to promote the common welfare of all our members rather than our own agenda? And, as trusted servants, do we take into consideration the effect our actions might have on newcomers?
Service can bring out both the best and the worst in us. But it is often through service that we begin to get in touch with some of our more pressing defects of character Do we shrink from service commitments rather than face what we might find out about ourselves? If we bear in mind the strength of the ties that bind us together—our recovery from active addiction—all will be well.
Just for today: I will strive to be of service to our fellowship. I will be unafraid to discover who I am.
Siobhan
Each Day a New Beginning
Fortuitous circumstances constitute the moulds that shape the majority of human lives. –Augusta Evans
Being in the right place at the right time is how we generally explain our good fortune or the good fortune of a friend. But it’s to our advantage to understand how we managed to be in the right place at just the right moment.
We have probably heard many times at meetings that God’s timetable is not necessarily the same as our timetable. That events will happen as scheduled to fit a picture bigger than the picture encompassed by our egos. And frequently our patience wears thin because we aren’t privy to God’s timetable. But we can trust, today and always, that doors open on time. Opportunities are offered when we are ready for them. Nary a moment passes that doesn’t invite us to both give and receive a special message–a particular lesson. We are always in God’s care, and every circumstance of our lives is helping to mold the women we are meant to be.
I will take a long look at where I am today and be grateful for my place. It’s right for me, now, and is preparing me for the adventure ahead.
Davey
NA Just For Today
An Awakening Of The Spirit
“The last thing we expected was an awakening of the spirit”
Basic Text, p. 48
Few of us came to our first Narcotics Anonymous meeting aching to take a personal inventory or believing that a spiritual void existed in our souls. We had no inkling that we were about to embark on a journey which would awaken our sleeping spirits.
Like a loud alarm clock, the First Step brings us to semiconsciousness—although at this point, we may not be sure whether we want to climb out of bed or maybe sleep for just five more minutes. The gentle hand shaking our shoulders as we apply the Second and Third Steps causes us to stand up, stretch, and yawn. We need to wipe the sleep from our eyes to write the Fourth Step and share our Fifth. But as we work the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Steps, we begin noticing a spring in our step and the start of a smile on our lips. Our spirits sing in the shower as we take the Tenth and Eleventh Steps. And then we practice the Twelfth, leaving the house in search of others to awaken.
We don’t have to spend the rest of our lives in a spiritual coma. We may not like to get up in the morning but, once out of bed, we’re almost always glad we did.
Just for today: To awaken my sleepy spirit, I will use the Twelve Steps.
Sean UK :)
February 17
Daily Reflections
THE LOVE IN THEIR EYES
Some of us won’t believe in God, others can’t, and
still others who do not believe that God exists have
no faith whatever He will perform this miracle.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 25
It was the changes I saw in the new people who came
into the Fellowship that helped me lose my fear, and
change my negative attitude to a positive one. I could
see the love in their eyes and I was impressed by how
much their “One Day at a Time” sobriety meant to them.
They had looked squarely at Step Two and came to believe
that a power greater than themselves was restoring them
to sanity. That gave me faith in the Fellowship, and
hope that it could work for me too. I found that God
was a loving God, not that punishing God I feared before
coming to A.A. I also found that He had been with me
during all those times I had been in trouble before I
came to A.A. I know today that He was the one who led
me to A.A. and that I am a miracle.
California Colin :)
NA Just For Today
Carrying The Message, Not The Addict
“They can be analyzed, counseled, reasoned with, prayed over, threatened, beaten, or locked up, but they will not stop
until they want to stop.”
Basic Text, p. 62
Perhaps one of the most difficult truths we must face in our recovery is that we are as powerless over another’s
addiction as we are over our own. We may think that because we’ve had a spiritual awakening in our own lives we
should be able to persuade another addict to find recovery. But there are limits to what we can do to help another
addict.
We cannot force them to stop using. We cannot give them the results of the steps or grow for them. We cannot take
away their loneliness or their pain. There is nothing we can say to convince a scared addict to surrender the familiar
misery of addiction for the frightening uncertainty of recovery. We cannot jump inside other peoples’ skins, shift their
goals, or decide for them what is best for them.
However, if we refuse to try to exert this power over another’s addiction, we may help them. They may grow if we
allow them to face reality, painful though it may be. They may become more productive, by their own definition, as long
as we don’t try and do it for them. They can become the authority on their own lives, provided we are only authorities
on our own. If we can accept all this, we can become what we were meant to be – carriers of the message, not the
addict.
Just for today: I will accept that I am powerless not only over my own addiction but also over everyone else’s. I will
carry the message, not the addict.
Georgie Girl xx
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Liquor used to be my friend. I used to have a lot of fun
drinking. Practically all the fun I had was connected
with drinking. But the time came when liquor became my
enemy. I don’t know just when liquor turned against me
and became my enemy, but I know it happened, because I
began to get into trouble. And since I realize that liquor
is now my enemy, my main business now is keeping sober.
Making a living or keeping a house is no longer my main
business. It’s secondary to the business of keeping sober.
Do I realize that my main business is keeping sober?
Meditation For The Day
I can depend on God to supply me with all the power I need
to face any situation, provided that I will sincerely
believe in that power and honestly ask for it, at the same
time making all my life conform to what I believe God wants
me to be. I can come to God as a business manager would
come to the owner of the business, knowing that to lay the
matter before Him means immediate cooperation, provided the
matter has merit.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may believe that God is ready and willing to
supply me with all that I need. I pray that I may ask only
for faith and strength to meet any situation.
Georgie 🙂 X
Victoria
February 18
Daily Reflections
OUR PATHS ARE OUR OWN
… there was nothing left for us but to pick up the
simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 25
My first attempt at the Steps was one of obligation
and necessity, which resulted in a deep feeling of
discouragement in the face of all those adverbs:
courageously; completely; humbly; directly; and only.
I considered Bill W. fortunate to have gone through
such a major, even sensational, spiritual experience.
I had to discover, as time went on, that my path was
my own. After a few twenty-four hours in the A.A.
Fellowship, thanks especially to the sharing of
members in meetings, I understood that everyone
gradually finds his or her own pace in moving through
the Steps. Through progressive means, I try to live
according to these suggested principles. As a result
of these Steps, I can say today that my attitude
towards life, people, and towards anything having to
do with God, has been transformed and improved.
Peter Mc
Alcoholics Anonymous – Fourth Edition Stories
The Vicious Cycle
How it finally broke a Southerner’s obstinacy and destined this salesman to start A.A. at Philadelphia.
At that time the group in New York was composed of about twelve men who were working on the principle of every drunk for himself; we had no real formula and no name. We would follow one man’s ideas for a while, decide he was wrong, and switch to another’s method. But we were staying sober as long as we kept and talked together. There was one meeting a week at Bill’s home in Brooklyn, and we all took turns there spouting off about how we had changed our lives overnight, how many drunks we had saved and straightened out, and last but not least, how God had touched each of us personally on the shoulder. Boy, what a circle of confused idealists! Yet we all had one really sincere purpose in our hearts, and that was not to drink. At our weekly meeting I was a menace to serenity those first few months, for I took every opportunity to lambaste that “spiritual angle,” as we called it, or anything else that had any tingle of theology. Much later I discovered the elders held many prayer meetings hoping to find a way to give me the heave-ho but at the same time stay tolerant and spiritual. They did not seem to be getting an answer, for here I was staying sober and selling lots of auto polish, on which they were making one thousand percent profit. So I rocked along my merry independent way until June, when I went out selling auto polish in England. After a very good week, two of my customers took me to lunch on Saturday. We ordered sandwiches, and one man said, “Three beers.” I let that sit too. Then it was my turn–I ordered, “Three beers,” but this time it was different; I had a cash investment of thirty cents, and, on a ten-dollar-a-week-salary, that a big thing. So I drank all three beers, one after the other, and said, “I’ll be seeing you, boys,” and went around the corner for a bottle. I never saw either of them again.
pp. 227-228
Debs x
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Step Eleven – “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
Now, what of prayer? Prayer is the raising of the heart and mind to God–and in this sense it includes meditation. How may we go about it? And how does it fit in with meditation? Prayer, as commonly understood, is a petition to God. Having opened our channel as best we can, we try to ask for those right things of which we and others are in the greatest need. And we think that the whole range of our needs is well defined by that part of Step Eleven which says: “…knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” A request for this fits in any part of our day.
p. 102
Manuel :)
As Bill Sees It
The Realm Of The Spirit, p. 7
In ancient times material progress was painfully slow. The spirit of
modern science inquiry, research, and invention was almost unknown.
In the realm of the material, men’s minds were fettered by
superstition, tradition, and all sorts of fixed ideas. Some of the
contemporaries of Columbus thought a round earth preposterous.
Others came near putting Galileo to death for his astronomical
heresies.
Are not some of us just as biased and unreasonable about the realm of
the spirit as were the ancients about the realm of the material?
<< << <> >> >>
We have found that God does not make too hard terms with those who
seek Him. To us, the realm of spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive,
never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open,
we believe, to all men.
Alcoholics Anonymous
1. p. 51
2. p. 46