“On a personal basis, I found myself trapped.”

Thought for Today “I'm free to do that which will lead me into paths of peace & satisfaction. I'm free to decide for or against, to say no and to say yes. I'm free to live life in a productive way and to contribute what I have to give to life. Am I coming to believe that I'm free to be the best self I'm able to be? Today I Pray “Let the freedom I am now experiencing continue to flow through my life into productiveness, into the conviction of life's goodness I have always wanted to share. May I accept this freedom with my Higher Power's blessing - and use it wisely.”

Adapted from A Day at a Time: Daily Reflections©1989 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.

“We ourselves have earned freedom from the inside. If we haven’t achieved the inner freedom to love, we are totally dependent on outer systems which, paradoxically, can never fully deliver the very freedoms they promise. Today, let’s use the word emancipation to describe a deeper, bigger, and scarier level of freedom: inner, outer, personal, economic, structural, and spiritual. Surely this is the task promised by our Higher Power, a task to embrace & practice for our entire lifetime.”

Adapted from Richard Rohr Daily Meditations

Meditation for the Day “What is sometimes called by religion, as conversion is often only the discovery of God as a friend in need. What is sometimes called religion is often only the experiencing of the help and strength of God's power in our lives. What is sometimes called holiness is often only the invitation of God to be our Friend. As God becomes your friend, you become a friend to others. We experience true human friendship, and from this experience, we can imagine what kind of a Great Friend God can be; a tireless, selfless, all conquering, miracle-working Friend. Today, we can reach out to the Great Friend and figuratively take His hand in ours. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may think of God as a Great Friend in need. I pray that I may go along with Him.”

Adapted from Twenty Four Hours a Day