Readings

Today's For Today:

"We should take care not to make the intellect our God." Albert Einstein

"My mind can easily get in my way. It tries to be logical. It figures out problems and thinks it has answers. Then my life becomes chaotic. It is only when I let go and let God that I feel serenity. It is only when i give up that I see the answers God puts before me. It is only when I stop trying to control that my life goes smoothly.
God runs my life better than i do. i must remember to stay out of the way.

For today: i accept whatever is put before me, knowing that acceptance is fundamental to spiritual growth.

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Today's Voices of Recovery:

"Perseverance brings us the reward of continuing permanent recovery." OA 12 & 12 p. 105

"Before I entered recovery, perseverance meant struggle through your problems and wind up eating anyway because an answer didn't come that very instant. Today perseverance has a different meaning. Through working the Twelve Steps and relying on my Higher Power, perseverance now means working through daily struggles with the hope of resolution and a brighter tomorrow, trusting my Higher Power to remove my impatience and replace it with the willingness I need to see that working through struggles is a part of recovery, and in His time, the answers will come. Giving in to daily struggles means i could miss my miracle that could be just five minutes away.

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Today's In This Moment, I am able to listen.

I wonder why 'listening' isn't taught in school." [For anyone reading this, no one taught US, but WE DO teach this! Okay, back to the book] "No one taught me how to listen; many times I felt nobody listened to me. I didn't know how to listen to others or even to myself.

Since I've been attending CoDA meetings regularly, I'm learning to listen to others - really listen, instead of worrying what they're thinking about me. I hear the words and the feelings behind those words. I pay attention to what it feels like to be heard. When I am heard, I feel validated and I'm more open to hearing others. It's a wonderful circle.

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Today's The Language of Letting Go:

"Acting As If

The behavior we call 'acting as if' can be a powerful recovery tool. Acting as if is a way to practice the positive. It's a positive form of pretending. It's a tool we use to get ourselves unstuck. It's a tool we make a conscious decision to use.
Acting as if can be helpful when a feeling begins to control us. We make a conscious decision to act as if we feel fine and are going to be fine.
When a problem plagues us, acting as if can help us get unstuck. We act as if the problem will be or ALREADY is solved, so we can go on with our life.
Often, acting as if we are detached will set the stage for detachment to come in and take over.
There are many areas where acting as if - combined with our other recovery principles - will set the stage for the reality we desire. We can act as if we love ourselves, until we actually do begin to care for ourselves. We can act as if we have a right to say no, until we believe we do.
We don't pretend we have enough money to cover a check. We don't pretend an alcoholic is not drinking. We use acting as if as part of our recovery, to set thes tage for our new behaviors. We force ourselves through positive recovery behaviors, disregarding our doubts and fears, until our feelings have time to cath up with reality.
Acting as if is a positive way to overcome fears, doubts, and low self-esteem. We do not have to lie; we do not have to be dishonest with ourselves. We open up to the positive possibilities of the future, instead of limiting the future by today's feelings and circumstances.
Acting as if helps us get past shaky ground and into solid territory.

God, show me the areas where acting as if could help set the stage for the reality I desire. Guide me as I use this powerful recovery tool to help create a better life and healthier relationships.

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