A Day at a Time Reflections

Some people are such worriers that they feel sorry about the fact that they have nothing to worry about. Newcomers in the Gamblers Anonymous Program sometimes feel, for example, "This is much too good to last." Most of us, however, have plenty of real things to worry about - old standbys: debts, health, death, and taxes, to name just a few. But GA tells us that the antidote to worry and fear is confidence - confidence not in ourselves, but in our Higher Power.Will I continue to believe that God can and will avert the calamity that I spend my days and nights dreading? Will I believe that, if calamity does strike, God will enable me to see it through?Today I Pray … May I realize that the worry habit - worry that grows out of broader, often unlabeled fears will take more than time to conquer. Like many others, I have lived with worry so long that it has become my constant, floor-pacing companion. May my Higher Power teach me that making a chum out of worry is a waste of my energy and fritters away my constructive hours.Today I Will Remember … Kick the worry habit.A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiHG.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

Some of us in Gamblers Anonymous are inclined to make the mistake of thinking that the few moments we spend in prayer and meditation - in "talking with God" - are all that count. The truth is that the attitude we maintain throughout the entire day is just as important. If we place ourselves in God's hands in the morning, and throughout the day hold ourselves ready to accept His will as it is made known through the events of our daily life, our attitude of acceptance becomes a constant prayer. Can I try to cultivate an attitude of total acceptance each day? Today I Pray … May I maintain contact with my Higher Power all through my day, not just check in for a prayer now and then. May my communion with God never become merely a casual aside. May I come to know that every time I do something that is in accord with God's will I am living a prayer. Today I Will Remember … Prayer is an attitude. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

Having made an effort to practice these principles in all our affairs, we tried to carry this message to other compulsive gamblers. This is the most popular step of all; even brand new members want to give of themselves. The bottom line, however, seems to be that one cannot give away something that one does not have. Saying it another way, you cannot carry the recovery program to another unless you are practicing the Twelve Steps in your life, one day at a time. Then you will have a strong message to carry. Ask yourself if this is a spiritual program and it is. The chances are that your spiritual bankruptcy was complete. Most of us early in our gambling career abandoned our spiritual values. Now as these values are returning and with gratitude you will want to share them with other members as once they were shared with you. Listening and hearing what the other members are experiencing is probably the first opportunity you will have to help. Sometimes we teach when we should be listening. Listening itself will communicate to others your personal understanding of what they are saying. Let's reflect. Do you remember how low in self-esteem you were when you attended your first Gamblers Anonymous meeting? You had no faith and therefore no hope. As you listened and talked and eventually looked at yourself and the others (who seemed happy around the table) faith and hope slowly returned. Recall that the first member you met came to the meeting early, arranged the table, put out the combo books and put on water for coffee. Were they working Step Twelve? Yes, by showing you they cared for you and all the other members. Caring seems a prime and necessary ingredient in order to work this Step. If you don't care, how can you share? Then this caring member told you that the program was and must be self-help. Then, he/she explained another Gamblers Anonymous paradox. If you give of yourself and try to help another human being, you will gain from the act of giving, even if your effort fails. It is in giving that we receive and so it becomes self-help. Remember two words - effort and tried. Success in this Step is putting forth the effort and trying to carry the message not how many heard you or followed your advice. When you left the meeting, you had to return to the wreckage you had created. You gave your phone number and received a phone list. You were probably too shy and ashamed to make a call, but within the next day or so a member called you. It wasn't so much what was said as the fact that someone cared enough to call. This serves to revitalize your faith and hope. Again, caring embodies all the nice elements of spiritual growth. As you started to come out of the fog, you had a sponsor and hoped they would give you the time, experience and wisdom. This unwritten contract to help another seems the highest degree of working Step Twelve; it is caring at the highest level. Following are some of the many ways by which one can practice Step Twelve: • Be an example of quality abstinence • Accompany another member on a Twelve Step call • Visit sick members • Phone members • Chat after meetings with new members or those with problems • Assume some of the duties, obligations and responsibilities of the Fellowship • Explain your disease and how you arrested it to relatives, doctors and employers • Tell your story to help a fellow member • Do public relations work • Practice the Gamblers Anonymous Program A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginninghttps://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

A friend in Gamblers Anonymous told me of a favorite hymn from her childhood: "Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me." In actuality, that is what the GA Program has done for me - it has opened my eyes so that I have come to see the true nature of my gambling addiction, as well as the true nature of the joyous life that can be mine if I practice the principles embodied in the Twelve Steps of Recovery. Through prayer and meditation, am I also improving my inner vision, so that I can better see God's love and power working in me and through me? Today I Pray … May each glint of truth that I catch sight of as I work the Steps begin to take on the steadier shine of a fixed star. May I know that these stars are all that I need to chart my course and navigate safely. May I no longer feel the frantic need to put in to every unknown port along the way in search of direction. These stars are always mine to steer by. Today I Will Remember … Find the fixed stars and fix on them. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

These days, if I go through an experience that is new and demanding, I can do so in a spirit of confidence and trust. Thanks to Gamblers Anonymous and the Twelve Steps of Recovery, I've come to know that God is with me in all places and in all endeavors. His Spirit is in me as well as in the people around me. As a result, I feel comfortable even in new situations and at home even among strangers. Will I continue to flow along and grow along with the Program, trusting in the love of God at work in me and in my life? Today I Pray … May God's comfort be with me in all situations, familiar or new. May He rebuild the sagging bridge of my confidence. May I acknowledge God in me and in others around me. May that mutual identity in God help me communicate with people on a plane of honesty. If I can learn to trust God, I can learn to trust the ones who share this earth with me. Today I Will Remember … God teaches me how to trust. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

Before I came to the Gamblers Anonymous Program - in fact, before I knew of the Program's existence drifted from crisis to crisis. Occasionally, I tried to use my will to chart a new course; however, like a rudderless ship, I inevitably foundered once again on the rocks of my own despair. Today, in contrast, I receive guidance from my Higher Power. Sometimes, the only answer is a sense of peace or an assurance that all is well. Even though there may be a time of waiting before I see results, or before any direct guidance comes, will I try to remain confident that things are working out in ways that will be for the greatest good of everyone concerned? Today I Pray … May I not expect instant, verbal communication with my Higher Power, like directions on a stamped, self-addressed postcard. May I have patience, and listen, and sense that God is present. May I accept my new feeling of radiant warmth and serenity as God's way of assuring me that I am, finally, making some good choices. Today I Will Remember … Patience: God's message will come. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

Have I ever stopped to think that the impulse to "blow off steam" and say something unkind or even vicious will, if followed through, hurt me far more seriously than the person to whom the insult is directed? I must try constantly to quiet my mind before I act with impatience or hostility, for my mind can be - in that very real way - an enemy as great as any I've ever known. Will I look before I leap, think before I speak, and try to avoid self-will to the greatest extent possible? Today I Pray … May I remember that my blow-ups and explosions, when they are torrents of accusations or insults, hurt me just as much as the other person. May I try not to let my anger get to the blow-up stage, simply by recognizing it as I go along and stating it as a fact. Today I Will Remember … Keep a loose lid on the teapot. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

"Difficulties are God's errands, and when we are sent upon them, we should esteem it a proof of God's confidence," wrote Beecher. I've come to realize that my past troubles were really of my own making. Although I hardly thought so at the time, I was a primary example of what the Gamblers Anonymous Program calls "self-will run riot." Today I'll accept my difficulties as signposts to growth and as evidence of God's confidence in me. Do I believe that God will never give me more than I can handle? Today I Pray … May I believe strongly that God has confidence in me to handle my troubles, that the difficulties I must face are in direct proportion to my strength and ability to bear up and keep a cool head in a crisis. May I also understand that it is my faith in God that keeps me from crumbling. Today I Will Remember … God has faith in me, because I have faith in God. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

We often see people in Gamblers Anonymous - devoutly and with seeming sincerity - ask for God's guidance on matters ranging from major crises to such insignificant things as what to serve at a dinner party. Though they may be well-intentioned, such people tend to force their wills into all sorts of situations - with the comfortable assurance that they're following God's specific directions. In reality, this sort of prayer is nothing more than a self-serving demand of God for "replies"; it has little to do with the Gamblers Anonymous Program's suggested Eleventh Step. Do I strive regularly to study each of the Steps, and to practice them in all my affairs? Today I Pray … May I not make the common mistake of listing my own solutions for God and then asking for a stamp of Divine approval. May I catch myself if I am not really opening my mind to God's guidance, but merely laying out my own answers with a "what do you think of these?" attitude. Today I Will Remember … Am I looking for God's rubber stamp? A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

As long as I stubbornly hang on to the conviction that I can live solely by my individual strength and intelligence, a working faith in my Higher Power is impossible. This is true, no matter how strongly I believe that God exists. My spiritual beliefs - no matter how sincere - will remain forever lifeless if I continue trying to play God myself. What it comes down to is that, as long as we place self-reliance first, true reliance upon a Higher Power is out of the question. How strong is my desire to do God's will? Today I Pray … I pray that I may not place my self-reliance above reliance on God. May I know that there is no conflict between taking responsibility for my own actions, which I have been taught is the essence of maturity, and looking to God for guidance. May I remember that if I stick to the "do it myself" rule, it is like refusing to ask for a road map from a tourist information bureau - and wandering around forever lost. Today I Will Remember … Maturity is knowing where to go for help. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

When I finally convince myself to let go of a problem that's been tearing me apart - when I take the action to set aside my will and let God handle the problem - my torment subsides immediately. If I continue to stay out of my own way, then solutions begin to unfold and reveal themselves. More and more, I'm coming to accept the limitations of my human understanding and power. More and more, I'm learning to let go and trust my Higher Power for the answers and the help. Do I keep in the forefront of my mind the fact that only God is all-wise and all-powerful? Today I Pray … If I come across a stumbling-block, may I learn to step out of the way and let God remove it. May I realize my human limitations at problem-solving, since I can never begin to predict God's solutions until I see them happening. May I know that whatever answer I come to, God may have a better one. Today I Will Remember … God has a better answer. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

N. Eldon Tanner has said, "Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth." For most recovering gamblers, service itself is a privilege, a privilege we've been given along with our new lease on life. Sponsorship, calling new members, or answering calls from new members sometimes takes a lot of energy and time. When I feel resistant, let me remember the security I felt when I was new in Gamblers Anonymous and recognized that there were those available to help me if I asked. Do I know for certain that my service today is a vital part of my own continued recovery? Today I Pray … May I never cease to remember that the service of those before me made the Gamblers Anonymous Program available for me in my recovery today. May the service I willingly provide today aid in others' recovery tomorrow. Today I Will Remember … Service in the Program is a privilege. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

Most of us in Gamblers Anonymous are far more comfortable with the determination that we won't make that first bet today, than we are with the "vow" that we'll never gamble again. Saying "I intend never to gamble again" is quite different from saying "I'll never gamble again." The latter statement is far too reflective of self-will; it doesn't leave much room for the idea that our obsession to gamble will be removed if we practice GA's Twelve Steps of Recovery one day at a time. Will I continue to fight against complacency, realizing that I'll always be just one wager away from disaster? Today I Pray … "Never again" demands too binding a commitment, even for the strongest among us. Our past lives were full of "never agains" and "won't evers," promises that were broken before the next dawn. May I, for now, set my sights on just one clean day at a time. Today I Will Remember … Never say "never again." A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

Our ancient enemy, self-will, wears a mask, confronting me with this sort of rationalization: Why do I have to lean on God? Hasn't He already given me the intelligence to think for myself? I have to pause when such thoughts creep into my mind, remembering that I've never really been able to bring about the results I wanted simply by relying on my own devices. I'm not self-sufficient, nor do I know all the answers; bitter experience alone teaches me that. Do I know that I need God's guidance? Am I willing to accept it? Today I Pray … I pray that, as I become stronger in my conviction and in my abstinence, I will not begin to shrug off my dependence on a Higher Power. May I continue to pray for guidance, even when things seem to be going along smoothly. May I know that I need my Higher Power as much in times of triumph as in times of trauma. Today I Will Remember … Self-sufficiency is a godless myth. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

Once at a meeting held in a church, I saw a stained glass window on which was written, "God Is Love." For some reason, my mind transposed the words into "Love is God." Either way is correct and true, I realized, looking about me and becoming even more conscious of the spirit of love and Power in the small meeting room. I'll continue to seek out that love and Power, following the Gamblers Anonymous Program as if my life depended upon it - as indeed it does. Does life to me today mean living - in the active sense - joyously and comfortably? Today I Pray … May I feel the spirit of love that gives our prayers their energy. May I feel the oneness in this room, the concentration of love that gives the group its power. May I feel the exemplary love of a Higher Power, which our love echoes. Today I Will Remember … Love is God. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit," -Aristotle. By repeating my gambling acts, I became progressively more likely to do them again and again. By repeatedly attending meetings, talking with my Higher Power, sharing my feelings, and keeping connected with Gamblers Anonymous members between meetings, I become what I am doing: part of the GA Fellowship. If I continue to repeat these acts, I will become progressively more likely to do them again and again. Do I recognize that any small contribution I make at a meeting has a much greater return on investment than any bet I ever made, even my biggest hit? Today I Pray … May the acts that I repeat today be according to the will of my Higher Power. May I understand that, although perfection is not my goal, progress is possible, and excellence at what I am doing for my recovery is attainable. Help me rid myself of my self-destructive habits and replace them with ones that will aid in my recovery. Today I Will Remember … Recovery is not an act; it is a habit. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

If you're a negative thinker and are not yet ready to do an about-face, here are some guidelines that can keep you miserable for just as long as you wish to remain so. First, don't go to Gamblers Anonymous meetings. If you somehow find yourself at a meeting, keep your mouth (and your mind) shut and your hands in your pockets. Don't try to solve any of your problems, never laugh at yourself, and don't trust other people in the Program. Above all, under no conditions should you try to live in the Now just keep feeding your fantasies about the future with unrealities. Am I aware that negative thinking means taking myself deadly seriously at all times, allowing no time for laughter, or for living? Today I Pray … If I am feeling negative, may I check myself in the mirror that is the group for any symptoms of a closed mind: tight lips, forced smile, set jaw, straight-ahead glance and no glimmer of humor. God, grant me the ability to laugh at myself - often - for I need that laughter to cope with the everyday commotion of living. Today I Will Remember … To laugh at myself. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

Contrary to what some people think, the slogan "Let Go and Let God" isn't an expression of apathy, an attitude of defeatism, or an unwillingness to accept responsibility. Those who turn their backs on their problems are not "letting go and letting God," but, instead, are abandoning their commitment to act on God's inspiration and guidance. They neither ask for nor expect help; they want God to do it all. In seeking God's guidance, do I realize that the ultimate responsibility is mine? Today I Pray … May I not allow myself to be lazy just because I think God is going to do everything anyway. (Such apathy reminds me of my old powerless self, the one that moaned that the world was going up in smoke, civilization was going down the drain, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it.) Neither may I use "letting God" do it as an excuse for shrugging off my problems without even trying. May God be my inspiration; may I be an instrument of God. Today I Will Remember … God guides those who help themselves. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

Our faith in God's power - at work in us and in our lives - doesn't relieve us of responsibility. Instead, our faith strengthens our efforts, makes us confident and assured, and enables us to act decisively and wisely. We're no longer afraid to make decisions; we're not afraid to take the steps that seem called for in the proper handling of given situations. Do I believe that God is at work beyond my human efforts, and that my faith and trust in Him will bring forth results far exceeding my expectations? Today I Pray … May my trust in my Higher Power never falter. May my faith in that Power continue to shore up my optimism, my confidence, my belief in my own decision-making. May I never shut my eyes to the wonder of God's work or discount the wisdom of His solutions. Today I Will Remember … Our hope in ages past, our help for years to come. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC

The Gamblers Anonymous Program shows us how to transform the pipe-dreams of our pasts into a comfortable reality and true sense of purpose, together with a growing consciousness of the power of God in our lives. It's all right to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, we're taught, but our feet should remain firmly planted here on earth. Here's where other people are; here's where our work must be accomplished. Do I see anything incompatible between my God-consciousness and a useful life in the here-and-now? Today I Pray … May my new "reality" include not only the nuts and bolts and pots and pans of daily living, but also my spiritual reality, my growing knowledge of the presence of God. May this new reality have room, too, for my dreams - not the mind-drifting fantasies of the past or the remnants of my delusions, but the products of a healthy imagination. May I respect these dreams, anchor them in earth's possibilities, and turn them into useful creativity. Today I Will Remember … Heaven has a place in the here-and-now. A Day at a Time https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH G.A. A New Beginning https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC