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

"Then they outlined the spiritual answer and program of action which a hundred of them had followed successfully.
Though I had been only a nominal churchman, their proposals were not, intellectually, hard to swallow.
But the program of action, though entirely sensible, was pretty drastic.
It meant I would have to throw several lifelong conceptions out of the window.
That was not easy. But the moment I made up my mind to go through with the process,
I had the curious feeling that my alcoholic condition was relieved, as in fact it proved to be."
c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous,  p. 42
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Thought to Consider . . .

Willingness without action is fantasy.

*~*~*AKRONYMS*~*~*
A C T I O N =  Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature

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

Beaten

Step One: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.

"Who cares to admit complete defeat? Practically no one, of course. Every natural instinct cries out against the idea of a personal powerlessness. It is truly awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have warped our minds into such an obsession for destructive drinking that only an act of Providence can remove it from us."

© 1952, AAWS, Inc.; Printed 2005; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 21

*~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~*
AN ACT OF PROVIDENCE

It is truly awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have warped our minds into such an obsession for destructive

drinking that only an act of Providence can remove it from us.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  21

My act of Providence, (a manifestation of divine care and direction), came as I experienced the total bankruptcy of active alcoholism -- everything meaningful in my life was gone.  I telephoned Alcoholics Anonymous and, from that instant, my life has never been the same.  When I reflect on that very special moment, I know that God was working in my life long before I was able to acknowledge and accept spiritual concepts.  The glass was put down through this one act of Providence and my journey into sobriety began.  My life continues to unfold with divine care and direction.  Step One, in which I admitted I was powerless over alcohol, that my life had become unmanageable, takes on more meaning for me -- one day at a time -- in the life-saving, life Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.

©Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.©
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Group and World-Wide Community

The moment Twelfth Step work forms a group, a discovery is made - that most individuals cannot recover unless there is a group. Realization dawns on each member that he is but a small part of a great whole; that no personal sacrifice is too great for preservation of the Fellowship. He learns that the clamor of desires and ambitions within him must be silenced whenever these could damage the group. It becomes plain that the group must survive or the individual will not.

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"The Lone member at sea, the A.A. at war in a far land - all these members know that they belong to A.A.'s world-wide community, that theirs is only a physical separation, that their fellows may be as near as the next port of call. Ever so importantly, they are certain that God's grace is just as much with them on the high seas or the lonely outpost as it is with them at home."

1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 130 - 2. LETTER, 1966
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"But my friend sat before me, and he made the pointblank declaration
that God had done for him what he could not do for himself. His
human will had failed. Doctors had pronounced him incurable.
Society was about to lock him up. Like myself, he had admitted
complete defeat. Then he had, in effect, been raised from the dead,
suddenly taken from the scrap heap to a level of life better than
the best he had ever known!"

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill's Story, pg. 11~

*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day

When we were drinking, most of us had no real faith in anything. We may have said that we believed in God, but we didn't act as though we did. We never honestly asked God to help us and we never really accepted His help. To us, faith looked like helplessness. But when we came into A.A., we began to have faith in God. And we found out that faith gave us the strength we needed to overcome drinking. Have I learned that there is strength in faith?

Meditation for the Day

I will have faith, no matter what may befall me. I will be patient, even in the midst of troubles. I will not fear the strain of life, because I believe that God knows just what I can bear. I will look to the future with confidence. I know that God will not ask me to bear anything that could overcome or destroy me.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may put this day in the hands of God.

I pray for faith, so that nothing will upset me or weaken my determination to stay sober.