When I say the Serenity Prayer, sometimes over and over, I occasionally lose sight of the prayer’s meaning even as I repeat its words. So I try to think of the meaning of each phrase as I say it, whether aloud or silently. As I concentrate on the meaning, my understanding grows, along with my …
When we allow our Higher Power to take charge, without reservations on our part, we stop being anxious. When we’re not anxious about some person or situation, that doesn’t mean we’re disinterested or have stopped caring. Just the opposite is true. We can be interested and caring without being anxious or fearful. The poised, calm, and faith-filled …
I remember once hearing someone in the Gamblers Anonymous Program say, Life is a series of agreeings or disagreeings with the universe. There is much truth in that statement, for I’m only a small cog in the machinery of the universe. When I try to run things my way, I’ll experience only frustration and a sense of …
Determination—our clenched-jaw resolve that we can do something about everything—is perhaps the greatest hindrance to achieving serenity. Our old tapes tell us, The difficult can be done immediately; the impossible will take a little longer. So we tighten up and prepare ourselves for battle, even though we know from long experience that our own will dooms us …
When I first read the Serenity Prayer, the word serenity itself seemed like an impossibility. At the time, the word conjured up images of lethargy, apathy, resignation, or grim-faced endurance; it hardly seemed a desirable goal. But I’ve since found that serenity means none of those things. Serenity for me today is simply a clear-eyed and realistic …
As we Keep Coming Back to meetings, we’re able to recognize those who have an abundance of serenity. We are drawn to these people. To our surprise, we sometimes find that those who seem most grateful for today’s blessings are the very ones who have the most serious and continuing problems at home or at work. Yet …
Soon after I came to Gamblers Anonymous, I found a Higher Power whom I choose to call God. I’ve come to believe that He has all power; if I stay close to Him and do His work well, He provides me not with what I think I want, but with what I need. Gradually, I’m …
We are powerless over gambling; that admission brought us to the Gamblers Anonymous Program, where we learn through unconditional surrender that there is victory in defeat. After a time, we learn in Twelfth Step work that we’re not only powerless over our own addiction, but over the addiction of others. We cannot will another person to abstinence …
I’ve learned in Gamblers Anonymous that I am wholly powerless over my compulsion. At long last, I’ve conceded my powerlessness; as a result, my life has taken a 180-degree turn for the better. However, I do have a power, derived from God, to change my own life. I’ve learned that acceptance does not mean submission to an unpleasant or degrading situation. …
An entire philosophy of life is condensed in the slogan Live and Let Live. First we’re urged to live fully, richly, and happily—to fulfill our destiny with the joy that comes from doing well whatever we do. Then comes a more difficult challenge: let live. This means accepting the right of every other person to live as …