JUNE 8 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Pride in reverse"

JUNE 8 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Pride in reverse"

A friend in Gamblers Anonymous taught me to look at excessive guilt in an entirely new way, suggesting that guilt was nothing but a sort of reverse pride. A decent regret for what has happened is fine, he said. But guilt, no. I've since learned that condemning ourselves for mistakes we've made is just as bad as condemning others for theirs. We're not really equipped to make judgments, even of ourselves. Do I still sometimes "beat myself to death" when I appear to be failing? Today I Pray … May I be wary of keeping my guilty role alive long after I should have left it behind. May I know the difference between regret and guilt. May I recognize that long-term guilt may imply an exaggerated idea of my own importance, as well as present self-righteousness. May God alone be my judge. Today I Will Remember … Guilt may be pride in reverse. A Day at a Time ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH⁠⁠⁠ G.A. A New Beginning ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC⁠⁠

JUNE 7 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Not guilty for life"

Few of us are entirely free from a sense of guilt. We may feel guilty for things we've said or done-of things we've left unsaid or undone. We're so used to that gnawing guilt that even when we're accused falsely we still feel guilty. When I'm troubled by naggings of guilt, obviously I can't put into my day all the energy I'm capable of. So I must rid myself of guilt-not by pushing it aside or ignoring it, but by identifying it and correcting the cause. Have I finally begun to learn to "Keep It Simple?" Today I Pray … Since guilt is such a familiar feeling for a compulsive gambler, may I learn to understand when my feelings are simply natural regret at what has happened and when I am taking on a pose of perpetual guilt. I count on God to help me sort out and get rid of these twinges and pangs of guilt, which need to be recognized and unloaded. Today I Will Remember … The verdict of guilty is not for life. A Day at a Time ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH⁠⁠⁠ G.A. A New Beginning ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC⁠⁠

JUNE 6 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Letting go"

Adjusting myself to things as they are, and being able to love without trying to interfere with or control anyone else, however close to me that's one of the important things I search for and can find in Gamblers Anonymous. The learning is sometimes painful; however, the reward is life itself-full and serene. Is the Program helping restore me to a sane and reasonable way of thinking, so I can handle my interpersonal relationships with love and understanding? Today I Pray … May I respect those that I love enough to set them free to stop controlling, manipulating, scheming, bailing them out of trouble. May I love them enough to let them make their own mistakes and take responsibility for them. May I learn to let go. Today I Will Remember … Loving is letting go. A Day at a Time ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH⁠⁠⁠ G.A. A New Beginning ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC⁠⁠

JUNE 5 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Hear, don't judge"

The Gamblers Anonymous Program teaches me that not too many people can truthfully assert that they love everybody. Most of us have to admit that we've loved only a few, and that we've been quite indifferent to many. As for the rest, well, we've really disliked or hated them. We in Gamblers Anonymous find we need something much better than this in order to keep our balance. The idea that we can be possessively loving of a few, can ignore the many, and can continue to fear or hate anyone at all, has to be abandoned if only a little at a time. At meetings, do I concentrate on the message rather than the messenger? Today I Pray … May I understand that there is no place in my recovery from compulsive gambling or in my entire life-for toxic hatred or lackadaisical indifference. One of the most important positive ideas that I must carry with me is that all humans, as the children of God, make up a loving brother- and sisterhood. May I find it hard to hate a brother or sister. Today I Will Remember … Hear the message. Don't judge the messenger. A Day at a Time ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH⁠⁠⁠ G.A. A New Beginning ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC⁠⁠

JUNE 4 REFLECTION FOR THE DAY "Key to recovery"

Acceptance is a key. Too often I was unable to accept who I was, and therefore it was impossible to accept others. Before coming to Gamblers Anonymous, I hid from the truth because I was afraid of it. Now with the help of my GA brothers and sisters, I can walk through it. Today I actually find comfort in knowing the truth. I'm trying to go in the right direction and that's enough for me. Do I accept who I was, with all my shortcomings, and who I am trying to be? Today I Pray … God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the past with its miseries and restlessness, and the burdens that are left over from my gambling days. May my acceptance of things past be a basis for building a new life-a life I not only accept, but celebrate. Today I Will Remember … Acceptance is a key to recovery. A Day at a Time ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3EOjuiH⁠⁠⁠ G.A. A New Beginning ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3E9YgPC⁠⁠