AA Thoughts For Today - July

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AA Thought for the Day

July 20

Spiritual Awakening

Maybe there are as many definitions of spiritual awakening as there
are people who have had them. But certainly each genuine one has
something in common with all the others. And these things which they
have in common are not too hard to understand. When a man or a
woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is
that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he
could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Twelve) pp. 106 - 107

Thought to Ponder . . .
I can't. God can. I'll ask Him to.

AA-related 'Alconym'
F R O G = Fully Rely On God.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Fear
"Unreasonable fear that our instincts will not be satisfied
drives us to covet the possessions of others,
to lust for sex and power,
to become angry when our instinctive demands
are threatened,
to be envious when the ambitions of others
seem to be realized while ours are not.
We eat, drink, and grab for more of everything than we need,
fearing we shall never have enough.
And with genuine alarm at the prospect of work,
we stay lazy.
We loaf and procrastinate,
or at best work grudgingly and under half steam.
These fears are the termites that ceaselessly devour
the foundations of whatever sort of life we try to build."
1952AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 49

Thought to Consider . . .
Fear is a darkroom for developing negatives

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
F E A R = Forgetting Everything's All Right

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*

Wholeness
From "This Spirit Touch":
"I believe completeness is waiting for anyone who will take the time to make the effort, through quiet thinking, honest
prayer, chosen reading, and exercise. Those are the ingredients. It is an adventure so worthwhile that all else fades in
comparison, yet it makes all else worthwhile. Richmond, Virginia, USA"
1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 66

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Life is lived moment to moment ... and every moment provides me with an opportunity for growth."
Madison, Wisconsin, November 2010
"Drama Queen,"
Emotional Sobriety II

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N' Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. Were we
resentful, selfish, dishonest or afraid? Do we owe an apology? Have
we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another
person at once? Were we kind and loving toward all? What could we
have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? Or
were we thinking of what we could do for others, of what we could
pack into the stream of life? But we must be careful not to drift
into worry, remorse or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our
usefulness to others. After making our review we ask God's
forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 86~

"Perhaps there is a better way--we think so. For we are now on a
different basis; the basis of trusting and relying upon God. We
trust infinite God rather than our finite selves. We are in the
world to play the role He assigns. Just to the extent that we do as
we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us
to match calamity with serenity."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 68~

"Much to our relief, we discovered we did not need to consider another's conception of God. Our own conception,
however inadequate, was sufficient to make the approach and to effect a contact with Him."
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 46 (We Agnostics)

"By their example they showed us that humility and intellect could be compatible, provided we placed humility first.
When we began to do that, we received the gift of faith, a faith which works."
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 30 (Step Two)

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

Any number of alcoholics are bedeviled by the dire conviction that if ever they go near A.A. they will be pressured to conform to some particular brand of faith or theology. They just don't realize that faith is never an imperative for A.A. membership; that sobriety can be achieved with an easily acceptable minimum of it, and that our concepts of a Higher Power and God - as we understand Him - afford everyone a nearly unlimited choice of spiritual belief and action.
In talking to a prospect, stress the spiritual feature freely. If the man be agnostic or atheist, make it emphatic that he does not have to agree with your conception of God. He can choose any conception he likes, provided it makes sense to him. The main thing is that he be willing to believe in a Power greater than himself and that he live by spiritual principles.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, thank you for allowing me to have faith even when I don't understand it.