Recovery Meditations:
October 13
Recovery
Meditations: October 13, 2015
HONESTY
“Honesty is the first
chapter of the book of wisdom.”
Thomas Jefferson
Throughout my ups and downs in life and in working the
Steps, I have discovered the importance of complete honesty. No matter what I
feel or think, being honest about it with myself, others and God helps me to
stay in a healthier state of physical, emotional and spiritual wellness. When I
first started in the program, the idea of telling my Higher Power how I really
felt was foreign to me. Sure I asked for help and “explained” what I was going
through, but I didn’t often pour my heart out. I didn’t want to offend or
burden God with complaints or weakness.
With the help of the Steps, I have let go of the formal
prayers I learned in my youth and I more often tell God the way my life really
is. Sometimes that includes sharing my negative attitude, crying, or just
conversing casually with God. My Higher Power is full of acceptance and
understanding and is pleased every time I share my honest thoughts and feelings
with Him.
The years of denying and burying my feelings have resulted
in an automatic reaction to not allow myself to feel or think straight in lots
of situations. If I can take the time to identify exactly where I am and then
honestly admit that to God and others (when needed), I have made progress.
Sharing my true self with a sponsor or in a meeting helps,
too. It lifts the blinders from my eyes so that I can see my reality and
proceed from there. If I hide from God, fool myself or deceive others, I rob
myself of honesty which is the foundation of my progress towards serenity and
wisdom.
One day at a time...
For today I will
embrace my reality, the good and the bad. I will honestly admit my thoughts and
feelings to myself, to another person and to God.
~ Susanne
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Each Day A New Beginning
—Julia Morgan
How short is our vision of where an invitation might take us! Any invitation. Of one thing we can be certain, it offers an opportunity for making a choice, which means taking responsibility for who we're becoming. Choice making is growth enhancing because it strengthens our awareness of personal power.
Our lives unfold in small measures, just as small as they need to be for our personal comfort. It's doubtful that we could handle everything the future has in store, today; however, we will be prepared for it, measure by measure, choice by choice, day by day. We need not fear; what is meted out to us in the invitations offered is for our benefit. We are on a pathway to goodness.
The thrill of making choices is new to many of us when we enter this program. We'd opted for the passive life, all too often, and we became increasingly aware of, and often depressed by, our self-imposed powerlessness. Free at last! We are free at last to fully participate in our lives.
I will be grateful for the many options to act tugging at me today. Every choice I make strengthens my womanhood.
From Each Day
a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women by Karen Casey © 1982,
1991 by Hazelden Foundation.
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Food For Thought
As we work the OA program, we find that we cannot be rigorously honest about what we are eating unless we are rigorously honest about our other actions as well. Once our Higher Power takes charge of our lives, a general housecleaning occurs. Gradually, we see that the attitudes and activities, which undermine our integrity, have to go.
The housecleaning process can be painful. It involves facing aspects of ourselves, which we would prefer to remain hidden - our dependency, pride, selfishness, and avarice. Sex and money are often areas where our attitudes and practices need revision. What we are doing is shifting from an ego-centered to a God-centered orientation, and the shift is not always smooth.
Rigorous honesty shows up harmful relationships for what they are. It illumines our motives, which are not always the best. The love and care of our Higher Power support us as our weaknesses are exposed. Through His healing power, we are strengthened and made whole.
Grant me the ability to practice rigorous honesty in all areas of my life.
From Food for
Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters by Elisabeth L. ©1980, 1992
by Hazelden Foundation.
The Language of Letting Go
I'm learning that for a variety of reasons, I've spent much of my life focusing on form rather than substance. My focus has been on having my hair done perfectly, wearing the right clothes, having my makeup applied perfectly, living in the right place, furnishing it with the right furniture, working at the right job, and having the right man. Form, rather than substance, has controlled my behavior in many areas of my life. Now, I'm finally getting to the truth. It's substance that counts.
—Anonymous
There is nothing wrong in wanting to look our best. Whether we are striving to create a self, a relationship, or a life, we need to have some solid ideas about what we want that to look like.
Form gives us a place to begin. But for many of us, form has been a substitute for substance. We may have focused on form to compensate for feeling afraid or feeling inferior. We may have focused on form because we didn't know how to focus on substance.
Form is the outline; substance is what fills it in. We fill in the outline of ourselves by being authentic; we fill in the outline of our life by showing up for life and participating to the best of our ability.
Now, in recovery, we're learning to pay attention to how things work and feel, not just to what they look like.
Today, I will focus on substance in my life. I will fill in the lines of myself with a real person - me. I will concentrate on the substance of my relationships, rather than what they look like. I will focus on the real working of my life, instead of the trappings.
From The
Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.
Today's thought from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
It's okay to have fun.
Although we're working hard on recovering, we can also have fun. In fact, we can have much more fun now than we did before we found the program. With the awakening of our spiritual self, life takes on new zest. We smile more and frown less.
We can give ourselves permission to enjoy whatever comes our way, as long as it does not threaten abstinence or serenity. Friends, food, the multitude of activities, experiences, and sensations that life presents to us each day; all these are to be enjoyed.
Now that we have the tools for recovery, we can expect more fun. Using the inventory and amends Steps, we can clear away any emotional debris from the past that may be hampering our enjoyment of the present. As we take ourselves less seriously, our sense of humor blossoms. Laughter delights and heals us.
I will let myself enjoy life and have some fun.
It's okay to have fun.
Although we're working hard on recovering, we can also have fun. In fact, we can have much more fun now than we did before we found the program. With the awakening of our spiritual self, life takes on new zest. We smile more and frown less.
We can give ourselves permission to enjoy whatever comes our way, as long as it does not threaten abstinence or serenity. Friends, food, the multitude of activities, experiences, and sensations that life presents to us each day; all these are to be enjoyed.
Now that we have the tools for recovery, we can expect more fun. Using the inventory and amends Steps, we can clear away any emotional debris from the past that may be hampering our enjoyment of the present. As we take ourselves less seriously, our sense of humor blossoms. Laughter delights and heals us.
I will let myself enjoy life and have some fun.
You are reading from the book:
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