A Day at a Time Reflections

For a considerable period of time after I reached Gamblers Anonymous, I let things I couldn't do keep me from doing the things I could. If I was bothered by what a speaker or other people said, I retreated, sulking, into my shell. Now, instead of being annoyed or defensive when someone strikes a raw nerve, I try to welcome it because it allows me to work on my attitudes and perceptions of God, self, other people, and my life situation. We may no longer gamble compulsively, but we sometimes have a compulsive thinking problem. Am I willing to grow - and grow up? Today I Pray … May God give me courage to test my new wings even a feather at a time. May I not wait to be entirely whole before I re-enter the world of everyday opportunity, for recovery is ongoing and growth comes through challenges. May I no longer make desperate stabs at perfection, but keep my aims in sight and develop as I live - a day at a time. Today I Will Remember … Things I can't do should not get in the way of things I can. A Day at a Time ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH⁠⁠⁠ G.A. A New Beginning ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC⁠⁠

I've heard it said that when God closes a door, He opens a window. Since I started working the Twelve Steps of Recovery, much of the fear and pain that haunted my life is gone. Some of my defects have been lifted from me, though I'm still wrestling with others. I believe that if I continue to work the Twelve Steps over and over again, my life will continue to improve - physically, mentally, and spiritually. Am I more willing and able to help others by working the Steps myself? Today I Pray … I give thanks to God for showing me that the Gamblers Anonymous Twelve Steps of Recovery are a stairway to a saner life. As I re-work them conscientiously, my life does get better, healthier, and nearer to my Higher Power. As I continue to live them, may I feel the same gratitude and exaltation of spirit as those who are just now discovering them. Today I Will Remember … Step by Step, day by day. A Day at a Time ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH⁠⁠⁠ G.A. A New Beginning ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC⁠⁠

"When a man has reached a condition in which he believed that a thing must happen when he does not wish it, and that which he wishes to happen can never be, this is really the state called desperation," wrote Schopenhauer. The very real pain of emotional difficulties is sometimes very hard to take while we're trying to maintain abstinence. Yet we learn, in time, that overcoming such problems is the real test of the Gamblers Anonymous way of living. Do I believe that adversity gives me more opportunity to grow than does comfort or success? Today I Pray … May I believe firmly that God, in His infinite wisdom, does not send me those occasional moments of emotional stress in order to tease my abstinence, but to challenge me to grow in my control and my conviction. May I learn not to be afraid of emotional summits and canyons, for the Gamblers Anonymous Program has outfitted me for all kinds of terrain. Today I Will Remember … Strength through adversity.  A Day at a Time ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH⁠⁠⁠ G.A. A New Beginning ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC⁠⁠

It's still not exactly a "piece of cake" for me to accept today's occasional pain and anxiety with any great degree of serenity, but I'm increasingly able to be thankful for a certain amount of pain. In the Gamblers Anonymous Program, we find the willingness to do this by going over the lessons learned from past sufferings - lessons which have led to the blessings we now enjoy. We can remember how the agonies of our gambling days-and the pain of rebellion and bruised pride-have often led us to God's grace, and thus to new freedom. Have I thanked my Higher Power for the miracle of my life this day? Today I Pray … When I was helpless, I asked God for help. When I was hopeless, I reached out for His hope. When I was powerless over my compulsive gambling, I asked to share His power. Now I can honestly thank God that I was helpless, hopeless, and powerless, because I have seen a miracle. Today I Will Remember … From powerless highs and lows to a Higher Power. A Day at a Time ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH⁠⁠⁠ G.A. A New Beginning ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC⁠⁠

In every story we hear from others in Gamblers Anonymous, pain has been the price of admission into a new life, But our admission price purchased far more than we expected. It led us to a degree of humility, which we soon discovered to be a healer of pain. And, in time, we began to fear pain less, and desire humility more than ever.  Am I learning to "sit loosely in the saddle," making the most of what comes and the least of what goes? Today I Pray … If God's plan for us is spiritual growth, a closer alliance with His principles of what is good and what is true, then may I believe that all my experiences have added up to a new and improved me. May I not fear the lessons of pain. May I know that I must continue to grow through pain, as well as joy. Today I Will Remember … I hurt; therefore I am.  A Day at a Time ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH⁠⁠⁠ G.A. A New Beginning ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC⁠⁠