“You pointed out that my depressive side was ‘pride in reverse!’”

“With few exceptions our members find that they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they presently identify with their own conception of a Power greater than themselves.” ~ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, Appendix II, Spiritual Experience, pp. 569-70

Adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous

“From my first days in A.A., as I struggled for sobriety, I found hope in these words from our founders. I often pondered the phrase: ‘they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource.’ How, I asked myself, can I find the Power within myself, since I am so powerless? In time, as the founders promised, it came to me: I have always had the choice between goodness and evil, between unselfishness and selfishness, between serenity and fear. That Power greater than myself is an original gift that I did not recognize until I achieved daily sobriety through living A.A.’s Twelve Steps.”

Adapted from Daily Reflections

“Spiritual strength is the capacity to respond from a center of compassion & genuine concern. It’s ability to relate to people where they are; to accept others, ourselves & our own weaknesses. It’s confidence that God will guide us to let go of behaviors that block relationship with others, ourselves & reality. Humility is the greatest strength there is. It's not blown away by praise, nor is it exaggerated by approval of others. It is not ambitious; it's content to be whatever we are. Humility accepts all of the damage that has been done to us, knowingly or unknowingly by others, and all of the means we took to protect ourselves from that woundedness.”

Adapted from Thomas Keating on Pride and Humility

“Humility is the basis for all blessings, this is the question we have to ask ourselves: ‘is humility coming to me naturally?’ It makes no difference what anyone thinks about us or what we are doing. All that matters is that we ask ourselves this simple question: ‘Is my humility growing naturally day by day?’ The answer is that if you’re getting closer to the Light of the Creator, then humility has to come naturally to you.”

“If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But we must go further and that means more action. Step Eleven suggests prayer and meditation.”

Adapted from Into Action, Step Eleven, pg. 85

Meditation for the Day “I will relax and not get tense. I will have no fear, because everything will work out in the end. I will learn soul-balance and poise in a vacillating, changing world. I will claim God's power and use it because if I do not use it, it will be withdrawn. As long as I get back to God and replenish my strength after each task, no work can be too much. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may relax and that God's strength will be given to me. I pray that I may subject my will to God's will and be free from all tenseness.”

Adapted from Twenty-Four Hours a Day© 1975, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.