AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

January 29, 2023
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Spiritual Awakening
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
A spiritual awakening is our greatest gift.
 

AA-related 'Alconym'
S O B E R  =  Spiritually On Beam; Everything's Right.
 

A Member Shares:
Good morning, my name is Dale and I am an alcoholic. Welcome everyone. I thank you for allowing me to be of service this morning. For our topic this morning we take a look at the 12th Step Promise. Step Twelve: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. What is this promise of the 12th step? Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps. By working the first eleven steps, by applying the principles of those steps, we can expect to have a spiritual awakening. This doesn't mean that we will become adherents to any religious organization, it doesn't mean that we will or will not be saved. By each of us looking at our own lives we can see that there has been a change, as a result of these steps. And I might go so far as to say that if you haven't seen a change after working those first 11 steps then you might wants to start over or... you just might not really be an alcoholic. I came to A.A., like many, because I was a broken person. I thought I just needed to stop drinking. But I needed to change. I thought that if I just stopped drinking then everything would get better. What I discovered, after I stopped drinking for a short time, was just how messed up I had become. Then I thought that if I did just a few things, if I worked those steps that appealed to me, and avoided those steps which might get too close, then I would be allright. It turned out that in order to see the promise of Step Twelve I would have to work my way, sometimes slowly, through all of the first eleven steps. Sometimes I had to suffer and resist until the only way to find peace was to do the next right thing. The steps are the key which unlock the promise of Step Twelve. Step Twelve then goes on to tell us two more things. The first, to carry this message to alcoholics. What message, you might ask. The book Alcoholics Anonymous outlines the problem, the solution, and the program of action. And that is the only message that we have to carry to another alcoholic. Chances are that my life story won't mean squat to an active alcoholic. But if I can carry the message that is in our Big Book, and perhaps how it affected my life story, then maybe I can help someone. Finally Step Twelve tells us to practice these principles in all our affairs. It's actually pretty easy to practice these principles when I'm in this room, or in another meeting somewhere. So that gets me thru one hour of my day. What about the rest of my day? When I walk upstairs to the offices here, is it ok to fall back into old behavior? Of course not! I need to be at the very least respectful and courteous to the owners and the tenants of this building. And I need to carry those same principles with me when I go next door to the Home Depot, or when I go to the grocery store, and even when I'm just driving anywhere. I have to be honest that I don't always display the best face when I go out, most especially when I'm driving. But for me, awareness is key to understanding myself, and identifying where I need to change or improve myself. I will likely never qualify for sainthood, and that's not even a goal in my life. But if I can become a better person for myself, and to others, then I have achieved a level of success. Having brought about a behavior and attitude change sufficient to remain in recovery; we are empowered to demonstrate the new principles by which we live in our daily life through example. Thanks for listening this morning, and for being here to help carry the message.

To respond to the sharer, please email dtshare@aa-alive.org and it will be forwarded to them.
(All shares are reproduced with the kind permission of the person sharing)

Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying the AA message.
Grateful to serve,
peyton