A Prayer & Some Thoughts - April

[bluidkiti]

April 7


Making Wise Choices Prayer

Lord, please give me the wisdom to know when I’m being tempted. Be with me when I am angry, so I don’t make a bad situation much worse. In these times, give me the strength to keep my mouth closed. Keep me from reacting. Keep the sharp words out of my heart, so I don’t use them for destruction.

Please give me the strength to be someone who is patient, and who thinks before I speak. May I have the strength to listen and not be angry. Grant me the wisdom to know when to speak and what to speak, so that others will hear my words and know that they come from a heart that is grateful

Lord, help me to be wise counsel for others. Help me to be a person who lifts others up, who is helpful, and who is loving.
Amen

~ James C.

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Just a Thought

Sometimes we try too hard to get this program.

It is better to relax and accept it. It will be given to us, with no effort on our part, if we stop trying too hard to get it. Sobriety can be a free gift of God, which He gives us by His grace when He knows we are ready for it. But we have to be ready. Then we must relax, take it easy, and accept the gift with gratitude and humility. We must put ourselves in God's hands. We must say to God: "Here am I and here are all my troubles. I've made a mess of things and can't do anything about it. You take me and all my troubles and do anything You want with me."

So ............

Do I believe that the grace of God can do for me what I could never do for myself?
(Let go and let God)

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Just a Contemplation

Be Who You Are

Sometimes, our instinctive reaction to being in a new situation is: Don't be yourself. Who else can we be? Who else would you want to be? We don't need to be anyone else. The greatest gift we can bring to any relationship wherever we go is being who we are.

We may think others won't like us. We may be afraid that if we just relax and be ourselves, the other person will go away or shame us. We may worry about what the other person will think. But, when we relax and accept ourselves, people often feel much better being around us than when we are rigid and repressed. We can be fun to be around.

Giving ourselves permission to be who we are can have a healing influence on our relationships. The tone relaxes. We relax. The other person relaxes. Then everybody feels a little less shame, because they have learned the truth. Who we are is all we can be, all were meant to be, and it's enough. It's fine.

If others don't appreciate us, do we really want to be around them? Do we need to let the opinions of others control our behavior and us? Our opinion of ourselves is truly all that matters. And we can give ourselves all the approval we want and need.

I can and will relax and be who I am in my relationships. I will do this not in a demeaning or inappropriate way, but in a way that shows I accept myself and value who I am.

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Perception of Humility

An improved perception of humility starts a revolutionary change in our outlook. Our eyes begin to open to the immense values which have come straight out of painful ego-puncturing. Until now, our lives have been largely devoted to running from pain and problems. Escape via the bottle was always our solution.

Then, in A.A., we looked and listened. Everywhere we saw failure and misery transformed by humility into priceless assets.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Pages 74-75

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Just a Quote

"God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way." ~ Helen West