Aug. 22, 2024 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

 

Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024

Today's Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Skill to do comes of doing.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Often, we just want to sit and do nothing. And why not? We go to meetings, work the Twelve Steps, read, make new friends. All this takes energy and means taking risks. Haven't we earned the right to just sit and take a break from it all?

No! In the past, we avoided life. Now we're becoming people of action. We take risks. We're becoming people who get involved in life. We practice caring about people and caring about ourselves. At times, we may complain, but we do what is needed to stay sober. We gain skills by doing.

Why? We do it to save our lives. How? By trusting. We now trust that our Higher Power and friends will be there for us. They will help us push past our fears. As we practice daily how to stay sober, our skills grow.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, Yours is a spirit of action. Allow me to become skilled at being active.

Action for the Day

Today I'll work at being active and alive. Maybe I'll start a new friendship or try a new meeting.

Hazelden Foundation