Recovery Meditations: April 13, 2015
~ BE STILL ~
Be still, and know
that I am God.
The Bible, Book of
Psalms
I don't always know what "normal" is. I'm learning
that my disease keeps me from having a normal relationship with food, but I
also know that there are times when my feelings and thoughts are due to normal
circumstances. I might not feel well physically, I could be fatigued from a
demanding task, or I might simply be having an off day. There are normal
reactions to these situations and I can feel them. Not everything is caused by
my disease!
However, the way I handle these kinds of experiences can
very much be affected by my disease. On those bad days, I don't have to make
important decisions and I don't have to filter experiences through these
thoughts and feelings. I can postpone things until I'm on a more even keel and,
just for today, take care of myself and do the next right thing.
One Day at a Time . .
.
I am grateful for the
ways I am "normal" and thank God for the knowledge that I don't have
to let my disease make me think everything about me is "sick." Let me
simply be still on those uneven days and know that God is God and He is there.
~ Sandee S. ~
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Each Day a New Beginning
The world is a wheel always turning. Those who are high go down low, and those who've been low go up higher.
—Anzia Yezierska
Everything changes. Nothing stays the same. And letting go of the way things are, anticipating instead what they might become, frees us to live each moment more fully.
Time marches on, and our destiny marches with it. There is purpose in how our lives unfold; the ups and downs serve our growth. We must neither resent the doldrums nor savor too long the elation. Giving too much attention to either state interferes with our awareness of the present. And the present has come to teach us.
We must move with time. We must focus our attention on the moment and accept whatever feelings each experience elicits. Emotional maturity is accepting our feelings and letting them go and facing instead the next moment with fresh receptivity. Our lessons are many, and they accompany the lows as well as the highs. We can be grateful for both.
The program has taught us freedom from lingering lows. It has given us the tools to move confidently forward, trusting that all is well. Nothing lasts forever, and within each struggle is the opportunity for real growth.
The highs will pass away, just as will the lows. They visit us purposefully. I will give them their freedom and find mine as well.
—Anzia Yezierska
Everything changes. Nothing stays the same. And letting go of the way things are, anticipating instead what they might become, frees us to live each moment more fully.
Time marches on, and our destiny marches with it. There is purpose in how our lives unfold; the ups and downs serve our growth. We must neither resent the doldrums nor savor too long the elation. Giving too much attention to either state interferes with our awareness of the present. And the present has come to teach us.
We must move with time. We must focus our attention on the moment and accept whatever feelings each experience elicits. Emotional maturity is accepting our feelings and letting them go and facing instead the next moment with fresh receptivity. Our lessons are many, and they accompany the lows as well as the highs. We can be grateful for both.
The program has taught us freedom from lingering lows. It has given us the tools to move confidently forward, trusting that all is well. Nothing lasts forever, and within each struggle is the opportunity for real growth.
The highs will pass away, just as will the lows. They visit us purposefully. I will give them their freedom and find mine as well.
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
Greed
How many of us are killing ourselves with our own greed? In spite of all that we take in, we remain empty. Excessive consumption depresses our spirits even before it destroys our bodies.
Why are we so empty? Is it because we search for fulfillment in the wrong places? Do we expect permanent satisfaction from new clothes, more food, a bigger house? When the acquisition of these things fails to satisfy us for long, we then think we must go out and get more clothes, better food, a more elegant house.
Sometimes our greed arises out of fear, fear that we will not have enough. Kahlil Gibran says, "What is fear of need but need itself? Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?"
We are all children of a Father who satisfies our need but not our greed. To trust Him to abundantly supply all that we truly require is to give up fear as well as greed.
Take away my greed, Lord.
How many of us are killing ourselves with our own greed? In spite of all that we take in, we remain empty. Excessive consumption depresses our spirits even before it destroys our bodies.
Why are we so empty? Is it because we search for fulfillment in the wrong places? Do we expect permanent satisfaction from new clothes, more food, a bigger house? When the acquisition of these things fails to satisfy us for long, we then think we must go out and get more clothes, better food, a more elegant house.
Sometimes our greed arises out of fear, fear that we will not have enough. Kahlil Gibran says, "What is fear of need but need itself? Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?"
We are all children of a Father who satisfies our need but not our greed. To trust Him to abundantly supply all that we truly require is to give up fear as well as greed.
Take away my greed, Lord.
From Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters by Elisabeth L.
©1980, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation.
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The Language of Letting Go
Enjoyment
One of the prohibitions many of us learned in childhood is the unspoken rule — don't have fun and enjoy life. This rule creates martyrs — people who will not let themselves embrace the pleasures of day-to-day living.
Many of us associated suffering with some sort of sainthood. Now, we associate it with codependency. We can go through the day making ourselves feel anxious, guilty, miserable, and deprived. Or we can allow ourselves to go through that same day feeling good. In recovery, we eventually learn the choice is ours.
There is much to be enjoyed each day, and it is okay to feel good. We can let ourselves enjoy our tasks. We can learn to relax without guilt. We can even learn to have fun.
Work at learning to have fun. Apply yourself with dedication to learning enjoyment. Work as hard at learning to have fun as you did at feeling miserable.
Our work will pay off. Fun will become fun. Life will become worth living. And each day, well find many pleasures to be enjoyed.
Today, I will let myself enjoy life as I go through my day.
One of the prohibitions many of us learned in childhood is the unspoken rule — don't have fun and enjoy life. This rule creates martyrs — people who will not let themselves embrace the pleasures of day-to-day living.
Many of us associated suffering with some sort of sainthood. Now, we associate it with codependency. We can go through the day making ourselves feel anxious, guilty, miserable, and deprived. Or we can allow ourselves to go through that same day feeling good. In recovery, we eventually learn the choice is ours.
There is much to be enjoyed each day, and it is okay to feel good. We can let ourselves enjoy our tasks. We can learn to relax without guilt. We can even learn to have fun.
Work at learning to have fun. Apply yourself with dedication to learning enjoyment. Work as hard at learning to have fun as you did at feeling miserable.
Our work will pay off. Fun will become fun. Life will become worth living. And each day, well find many pleasures to be enjoyed.
Today, I will let myself enjoy life as I go through my day.
From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie
©1990, Hazelden Foundation
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Today's thought from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Place yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom, which flows through your life. Then, without effort, you are impelled to truth and to perfect contentment.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
When the renowned composer Johann Sebastian Bach was praised for his music, he responded, "To God goes the glory." When a well-known writer was asked to reveal his secret, he said, "I am simply the person whom the words came through." Like many who have excelled in their field, these artists know that it is God who makes us great, that it is the spirit within that expresses its perfect purpose through us.
God wants to do great things through you, too. In your prayers and meditation, ask that Infinite Intelligence work through you for the highest good of yourself and others. Ask to be a channel for the expression of the Divine plan. Then trust that spirit will guide you each step of the way, ensuring the right outcome of every situation and providing for all your needs.
You have a purpose and a mission - something to contribute during your stay on earth. Even now, spirit is beckoning you to fulfill your unique greatness. Listen and you will hear the call.
Place yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom, which flows through your life. Then, without effort, you are impelled to truth and to perfect contentment.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
When the renowned composer Johann Sebastian Bach was praised for his music, he responded, "To God goes the glory." When a well-known writer was asked to reveal his secret, he said, "I am simply the person whom the words came through." Like many who have excelled in their field, these artists know that it is God who makes us great, that it is the spirit within that expresses its perfect purpose through us.
God wants to do great things through you, too. In your prayers and meditation, ask that Infinite Intelligence work through you for the highest good of yourself and others. Ask to be a channel for the expression of the Divine plan. Then trust that spirit will guide you each step of the way, ensuring the right outcome of every situation and providing for all your needs.
You have a purpose and a mission - something to contribute during your stay on earth. Even now, spirit is beckoning you to fulfill your unique greatness. Listen and you will hear the call.
You are reading from the book:
Thank you.
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