• Ken L posted an update in the group Group logo of CommunityCommunity 3 years, 9 months ago

    JUNE 8 Reflection for the Day
    A friend in Gamblers Anonymous taught me to look at excessive guilt in a 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.

    JUNE 9 Reflection for the Day

    Some of us, new in Gamblers Anonymous, couldn’t resist telling anyone who would listen just how “terrible” we were. Just as we often exaggerated our modest accomplishments by pride, so we exaggerated our defects through guilt. Racing about and “confessing all,” we somehow considered the widespread exposure of our sins to be true humility, considering it a great spiritual asset. Only as we grew in the Program did we realize that our theatrics and storytelling were merely forms of exhibitionism. And with that realization came the beginning of a certain amount of humility.

    Am I starting to become aware that I’m not so important, after all?

    Today I Pray
    May I learn that there is a chasm of difference between real humility and the dramatic self-put-down. May I be confronted if I unconsciously demand center-stage to out-do and out-risk others with my gambling stories. May I be cautious that the accounts of my addictive misdeeds do not take on the epic grandeur of heroic exploits. May I avoid the bordering on prideful “game-ologue.”

    Today I Will Remember
    I will not star in my own “game-ologue.”