April 21

”Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

The Bible has been one of the many resources added into my recovery reading. It’s partly due to the fact that my own Higher Power is God, and that work is his word captured for mankind to read and learn. But it’s also because the more I read, the more often I see phrases and ideas that have come to take on their own life in society, but are often quoted from other sources. Like the opening quote today, for example, which has a striking resemblance to other quotes about worrying about the future. This passage is a good reminder for me, no matter what the source. Today and the events that will arise will certainly be enough to keep me occupied. I don’t need to add to today’s pressures by worrying about things that might take place tomorrow. I do hope that I am getting better at looking at my day more positively though, not anticipating all the “troubles of today” that await me. My focus needs to be on living in the present, being aware of what is happening at the current moment. This is the time I have to work with, where I can make the choices and exert the influence that will make a difference in my life and the world around me. This is the gift I have recovered in sobriety that I dare not waste as I have too often in the past. Here’s to living for today!

Affirmation

I will rejoice in the gift that comes when the fog of my addiction has lifted, which is living in and for the moment. What a joy to simple be present in the world once again!

October 14

”If you wait for tomorrow, tomorrow comes. If you don’t wait for tomorrow, tomorrow comes.” Senegalese proverb

I heard something on the radio recently that gave me pause. The message was that God wants us to confront our problems, as the speaker put it, to be a giant-killer, as in relation to the story of David and Goliath. It was a message that I needed to hear, a reminder that one of the big concerns in my life was not going to change if I continued to do nothing about it. Tomorrow would come, and it would still be there, just as much as it is today. So I made a commitment to take action, to make a phone call that I had been procrastinating about for a few days. It has not yet solved the problem, but I am now moving towards a solution rather than turning away from it. I still don’t know what the end result will be, and that is where my faith in my Higher Power has to take over. Tomorrow will be here whether or not I do anything about it. My choice today is to look at what action I can take, what problems I need to face to start making a difference in my life. May God grant me the courage to change what I can.

Affirmation I will be a giant-killer today. I shall run towards my problems and face them.

October 1

”When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on - and then swing.” Barbara Johnson

Finishing each day and leaving it finished is a good principle that I can and need to apply more generally. There are many aspects of my life, and certainly in recovery places where I want to repair damage that I have caused, but where I can only go so far. My part may only be opening the door to start the healing, but the other person has to be willing to pursue that route. It is not an avenue that I can force someone else to embark upon. Tomorrow is a new day and will be full of new challenges and opportunities. I can let go of the failures and successes of yesterday and start each day anew. This is why it is important for me to close each day in gratitude and prayer to prepare myself for a fresh start. I can make it easier to sense the hope and prospect that tomorrow holds by doing a proper job of settling today’s affairs. The God of my understanding is a boon to help keep me on the right track, facing forward. All the small steps of letting go free me from the weight of the past and allow me to focus on today.

Affirmation Reflection on today is my Step 10 work, and gives me an immediate indication of the adjustments I want to make…and to move onto the next day better prepared.