Daily Readings

May 03

SLAA Daily Reading

Sex & Love Addicts Anonymous

Date
May 03
Theme
LET GO AND LET GOD
Quote
Affirming our Spirituality—relying upon a Power greater than ourselves... Becoming open to accepting the unexpected turns in our life. Practicing acceptance when situations don’t go our way. More easily sensing we are being guided by our Higher Power. Trusting that our Higher Power is using our personal struggles for a greater good.
Source
from the “Measuring Progress” pamphlet
Reflection
In active addiction, we hold on to people or situations that aren’t good for us because we don’t know what will happen if we let go. Often, Higher Power has something better in store for us. It’s difficult to trust that God will be there for us. It turns out Higher Power had a much better plan for my life than I ever had for myself. It just took the opening of the door to let him in. It’s difficult to trust something we don’t understand or have never believed in. Doing all the Steps in order helps us come to a place where we can start to believe. First, we surrender to the addiction, then we come to believe. We turn our lives over and clear out the wreckage of our past. If we truly let go, we are able to do this painful task willingly. God takes over for us when we are too weak to continue, if we let him.
Affirmation
Today, I accept life’s struggles and trust that my Higher Power will be there for me.

Just For Today

Narcotics Anonymous

Date
May 03
Theme
Sharing our gratitude
Quote
"My gratitude speaks when I care and when I share with others the NA way."
Source
Gratitude Prayer
Reflection
The longer we stay clean, the more we experience feelings of gratitude for our recovery. These feelings of gratitude aren't limited to particular gifts like new friends or the ability to be employed. More frequently, they arise from the overall sense of joy we feel in our new lives. These feelings are enhanced by our certainty of the course our lives would have taken if it weren't for the miracle we've experienced in Narcotics Anonymous. These feelings are so all-encompassing, so wondrous, and sometimes so overwhelming that we often can't find words for them. We sometimes openly weep with happiness while sharing in a meeting, yet we grope for words to express what we are feeling. We want so badly to convey to newcomers the gratitude we feel, but it seems that our language lacks the superlatives to describe it. When we share with tears in our eyes, when we choke up and can't talk at all--these are the times when our gratitude speaks most clearly. We share our gratitude directly from our hearts; with their hearts, others hear and understand. Our gratitude speaks eloquently, though our words may not.
Affirmation
My gratitude has a voice of its own; when it speaks, the heart understands. Today, I will share my gratitude with others, whether I can find the words or not.

Spiritual Principal a Day

Narcotics Anonymous

Date
May 03
Principle
The Attraction of Goodwill
Quote
"Like so many things in recovery, how we do the work is as important as the work we do."
Source
Guiding Principles, Tradition Eleven, Opening Essay
Reflection
Many of us have had the experience of encountering a newcomer at a meeting or working with a sponsee who just can't seem to get this recovery thing. We have wished that we could just pour experience, strength, and hope into their minds and hearts, but we know it simply doesn't work that way. By participating in the hospitals and institutions and public relations service committees, many of us get a front-row seat to newcomers' awakening when we take H&I meetings to inmates or present PR panels to local schools. Initially, some students might attend to get out of class and prisoners to get out of their cells. Regardless of the motivation, many can't help but identify. We see the looks on their faces change from indifference and apathy to relief and understanding. The NA message has a way of penetrating through that tough exterior and getting right to the heart of the still-suffering addict. Sharing openly and honestly, from the heart, is the most attractive thing we have to offer. If we were to run around like fanatics, proclaiming the spoils of recovery based on our specific gains and achievements, this would be a misrepresentation of the truth. The practice of goodwill in Tradition Eleven comes when we exercise discretion and deliver a simple message: Narcotics Anonymous can work for anyone with a desire to stop using. When the message is clear, recovery can take root. ———     ———     ———     ———     ———
Affirmation
Today I will be mindful of how I represent myself inside and outside of the rooms, knowing that my story is not the Narcotics Anonymous program and that I might be the only Basic Text some people ever see.