Meditations on ""

When thanksgiving becomes a way of life rather than a day of celebration on the calendar, life will change for us.

Practicing an attitude of gratitude – is this just a happy little catchphrase or something to think about one day a year on the Thanksgiving holiday, or is it a way of facing each day that changes our perspective on life?

Asking God to remove all our shortcomings and making amends to those we have harmed sets us free to seek the will of God for our lives. Our cheerful faces will begin to reflect the measure of God’s love within us.

God has help for us as we take an inventory of the words that come out of our hearts and are expressed in these ways. In Proverbs, a book of wisdom, we are given several comparisons of good and bad words. This should help us sort out what words to keep and what words to learn to eliminate.

It is not God's plan that we swing between the extremes of being pushy or being passive.

To come out of the shadows and live in the light, we must be willing to shift our focus from our grief and woundedness to God’s comfort and care.

God is greater than any problem we may face, and we can truly be secure in the fact that God will take care of us.

We must stop using our problems as an excuse to sit on the sidelines of life.

Living in recovery requires that we keep away from our old stomping grounds and from the people who are still out there. It is much wiser to seek the company of someone who has been in recovery for a time and can share their experience in avoiding the pitfalls that lead to relapse.

How many of us have caused trouble for others by telling lies about them? If lies were told about us, how would we respond? How should we?

As we get to know the Lord Jesus our self-centered attitude begins to change and, with care and compassion, we become more aware of what is happening in the lives of others. We respond to others with kindness even when they are unkind to us because we are familiar with the place they are at.

Life with God in recovery is structured around telling the truth in all circumstances. We’ve heard the slogan, “You are only as sick as your secrets” and that’s a simple description of a life based on lies. Another AA slogan points us towards the new life we seek in recovery, “Trust God, clean house, help others.” God’s word also makes this principle crystal clear.