A PRICELESS GIFT By this time in all probability we have gained some measure of release from our more devastating handicaps. We enjoy moments in which there is something like real peace of mind. To those of us who have hitherto known only excitement, depression, or anxiety – in other words, to all of us – this newfound peace is a priceless gift. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 74 I am learning to let go and let God, to have a mind...
SHORTCOMINGS REMOVED But now the words "Of myself I am nothing, the Father doeth the works" began to carry bright promise and meaning. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 75 When I put the Seventh Step into action I must remember that there are no blanks to fill in. It doesn't say, "Humbly asked Him to (fill in the blank) remove our shortcomings." For years, I filled in the imaginary blank with "Help me!" "Give me the courage to," and "Give...
FALSE PRIDE Many of us who had thought ourselves religious awoke to the limitations of this attitude. Refusing to place God first, we had deprived ourselves of His help. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 75 Many false notions operate in false pride. The need for direction to live a decent life is satisfied by the hope experienced in the A.A. Fellowship. Those who have walked the way for years – a day at a time – say that a God-centered...
GRATEFUL FOR WHAT I HAVE During this process of learning more about humility, the most profound result of all was the change in our attitude toward God. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 75 Today my prayers consist mostly of saying thank you to my Higher Power for my sobriety and for the wonder of God's abundance, but I need to ask also for help and the power to carry out His will for me. I no longer need God each minute to rescue me from...
SURRENDER AND SELF-EXAMINATION My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive. Thus I think it can work out with emotional sobriety. If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand. Let us, with God's help, continually surrender these hobbling demands. Then we can be set free to live and love; we may then be able to...
