Mike Weber is a good friend of Helping Up Mission (see my 10/26/09 blog). He recently sent out this Thought for Today message.
In “How it Works” in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous you will find the following, “…we thought we could find an easier and softer way, but we could not.” The important thing to me is that it is in the past tense, “we could not.”
After the 12 Steps and a conscious contact with God as we understand Him, I propose that we fall right into the easier softer way. I believe God lays two paths before us: a right one and a wrong one, a hard one and a softer. The right is not always the softer and the wrong is not always the harder, which is why we need to consult with God before choosing a path.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Good advice, Mike. I believe I have experienced exactly what you are talking about.
Just for today, one day at a time.
Pastor Gary Byers
Spiritual Life Director
Spiritual Life Director
PS During his keynote address at our annual graduation banquet last Sunday at Martin’s West, Senator Frank Kelly pulled out his Alcoholics Anonymous book (unofficially know as “The Big Book”) and read the 12 promises from the end of Step 9 – the final step dealing with our past (chapter 6, pgs. 83-84). You can read it yourself at http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline.