Activity

OCTOBER 8 Reflection for the Day

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 in advance for failure. Over and over we are told in the Gamblers Anonymous Program that we must “Let Go and Let God.” And we eventually do find serenity when we put aside our own will while accepting God’s will for us.

Am I learning to relax my stubborn grip? Do I allow the solutions to unfold by themselves?

Today I Pray
May I loosen my tight jaw, my tight fists, my general uptightness – outward indications of the “do it all myself” syndrome that has gotten me into trouble before. May I know from experience that this attitude – “keep a grip on yourself and on everyone else too” – is accompanied by impatience and followed by frustration. May I merge my own will with the greater will of God.

Today I Will Remember
Loosen up on the stranglehold.