June 11 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 6 Spiritual Willingness Alcoholics Anonymous [Full daily blog link: http://donoddylondon.blogspot.com/] Today’s AA daily reflection: “obligations and entitlement…” Difficult reality! From day one in recovery something changes in how we respond and see what is happening around us in fellowship. The traditions of our fellowship are all about: unity, service and recovery intertwined and combined to provide strength of purpose. All founded on a desire to stop drinking and live sober one day at a time…
A sense of obligation to others based on free will, love and wisdom learned feels right to me these days. But I don’t feel I have entitlement to anything, nobody under obligation to me and I have no entitlement to their love. It can be very confusing learning this new life where love is unconditional and a personal obligation by me to practice these principles in the twelve step program in all I do today…
I don’t feel I’m different to many people in my final days of active alcoholism. Completely unable to function, unable to stop harming myself and just waking up long enough to drink and find oblivion again. The world so black and desolate and beyond feeling any pain. No sense of anything let alone an obligation to anything but extinction and stop causing pain to others. Quite different now, always learning how to love, be loved back and useful in the moment of now…
If we feel entitled to something, usually we are angry about our life situation. Hearing very sad experiences where relationships are broken down and denial of access to loved ones because of something we have done? When we are deprived of connection and relationships and we are excluded, entitlement can stop us seeing the truth of our impact on those we want in our lives. Our behaviour and actions so frightening and unwelcome we are excluded because of what we did. And denial hides our part in it in the moment of now… We can be left living in anger and resentment feeling the unfairness in every breath we take… Not so for me these days
For quite a long time I was cut off from family, advice given by the fellowship to cut me off was said more than once. Family kept thinking they could sort it out and of course they could not, because if I could not find a path forward sober, how on earth could anyone else make me? Recovery is an inside job, I needed to take responsibility to get help and learn how, start from scratch, no entitlement but an obligation to me and everyone to live sober day by day by day. And it works just for today…
DonInLondon 2005-2011 [Full daily blog link: http://donoddylondon.blogspot.com/]
AA Official Online Site: Daily Reflections http://www.aa.org/lang/en/aareflections.cfm
AA Official Online Site: Big Book And Twelve And Twelve http://www.aa.org/lang/en/subpage.cfm?page=359
Step 6. “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character” At this point, it would be a good idea to look again at our sharing in step five, where we define character and list a number of our defects. Completing step 5, we have compiled a list of
the character defects. Step six is concerned with our spiritual willingness to have these defects of character removed, contingent on each day we meditate and pray in good conscience, and or to God as we understand for ourselves. Seven billion humans, seven billion
outlooks and defintions about God every day… yours is as good as it gets today…
Step 6 “Spiritual Willingness” Reading Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M32D2S_A-g
June Video Reading Chapter Six Into Action Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agVuLKhdqk8
I do not speak for Alcoholics Anonymous I speak for myself. Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of unique and authentic people who speak for themselves where they will to share experience, strength and hope about recovery on a daily basis. Anonymity affords
sanctuary to find how to live sober and be open, honest and willing to learn life day by day. For me “truth,” “love” and “wisdom” offer the best spiritual experience by living reality today. Into the fabric of recovery from alcoholism are woven the Twelve Steps and the
Twelve Traditions, steps to be open, honest and willing to learn, traditions to live unity, service and recovery.
Spiritual principles ~ Forgiveness Acceptance Surrender Faith Open-mindedness Honesty Willingness Moral-inventory Amends Humility Persistence Spiritual-growth Service
Email | don@doninlondon.com
Music | “music for airports” By Brian Eno | http://www.enoshop.co.uk/ |