Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. —Richard J. Foster
As we have reached for instant cures, one-minute answers, and quick highs, we have developed lifestyles that foreclosed deeper possibilities. For instance, when we fail to stay and resolve conflicts in a relationship, we miss the joys of a renewed understanding. Our spiritual development comes in steps, small but meaningful increments that build over a period of time. Many of us have not been patient men and our newfound spiritual life is teaching us that the quickest, most efficient answer isn't always best.
Today, our greatest temptation may be to grab for the fast solutions rather than allowing time for small but important steps to occur. When we are frustrated, it will help to remember the difficulty may lie in our insistence on a quick answer. Sometimes simply being true to ourselves and standing as a witness while the answer develops are all that is asked of us.
I will have faith that time is on my side and it will teach me valuable things.
From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men©
********************************
Twenty-Four Hours a Day
The universe is full of magical things waiting for our wits to grow sharper. ---Eden Phillpots
How nice to have the fog lifted! Sobriety lets our wits grow sharper. We can go after our dreams and ideas. We can listen to music and sing. We are part of the magic of the universe. At times we may not feel very magical, but we are. Our spirits hold much magic. Sobriety is magic. We work at making the world a better place. In doing so, we get magical powers. Power that heals and comfort others. Power that heals and comforts others. Powers to understand things that before we could not. Powers that let us see the world as we’ve never seen it. Enjoy the magic and use your powers wisely!
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, let Your magic enter and fill my heart.
Action for the Day: I’ll list four magical powers I have from being sober.
Reluctantly, I opened my mind to the fact that maybe, just maybe,
there was something to this spiritual lifestyle.
Slowly but surely, I realized there was indeed a Power greater than myself,
and I soon found myself with a full-time Higher Power in my life
and following a spiritual path
that didn't conflict with my personal religious convictions.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 287
Thought to Ponder . . .
Minds are like parachutes -- they won't work unless they're open.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.
Daily Motivation
Generous living
Allow yourself to be inspired, and you enable yourself to be inspiring. Open yourself to criticism, and you position yourself for improvement.
Permit yourself to be challenged, and you compel yourself to grow stronger. Discipline yourself to stay focused, and you reward yourself with great achievement.
The kind of face you present to the world determines the kind of world you see and experience. What you get is very closely connected to how you are, to how you act, and to the way you think and feel.
The outside world is a surprisingly accurate mirror of your inside substance. Your choices determine your realities, both in ways that are obvious and in ways you cannot possibly imagine.
It is impossible to deceive life, so there’s no point in even trying to do so. Instead, put your energy and your effort into honest, authentic, generous living.
The goodness that flows out from you is constantly transformed into the good and valuable things that surround you. Let that goodness freely flow, and experience life at its best.
— Ralph Marston
No comments:
Post a Comment