Just for today meditations for 2016

[majestyjo]

NA Just For Today

Just For Today

"When we stop living in the here and now, our problems become magnified unreasonably."
Basic Text, p.96

"Just for today" - it's a comforting thought. If we try to live in the past, we may find ourselves torn by painful, disquieting memories. The lessons of our using are not the teachers we seek for recovery. Living in tomorrow means moving in with fear.

We cannot see the shape of the secret future, and uncertainty brings worry. Our lives look overwhelming when we lose the focus of today.

Living in the moment offers freedom. In this moment, we know that we are safe. We are not using, and we have everything we need. What's more, life is happening in the here and now. The past is gone and the future has yet to arrive; our worrying won't change any of it. Today, we can enjoy our recovery, this very minute.

Just for today: I will stay in the here and now. Today - this moment - I am free.
pg. 283

[majestyjo]

October 29, 2016

Living in the now

Page 315

"Living just for today relieves the burden of the past and the fear of the future."

Basic Text, pp. 94

Thoughts of how bad it was-or could be-can consume our hopes for recovery. Fantasies of how wonderful it was-or could be-can divert us from taking action in the real world. That's why, in Narcotics Anonymous, we talk about living and recovering "just for today."

In NA, we know that we can change. We've come to believe that our Higher Power can restore the soundness of our minds and hearts. The wreckage of our past can be dealt with through the steps. By maintaining our recovery, just for today, we can avoid creating problems in the future.

Life in recovery is no fantasy. Daydreams of how great using was or how we can use successfully in the future, delusions of how great things could be, overblown expectations that set us up for disappointment and relapse-all are stripped of their power by the program. We seek God's will, not our own. We seek to serve others, not ourselves. Our self-centeredness and the importance of how great things could or should be for us disappears. In the light of recovery, we perceive the difference between fantasy and reality.

Just for Today: I am grateful for the principles of recovery and the new reality they've given me.

Today is a not so good day, it is so important to stay in the moment, in the now. I haven't had a migraine that has taken me back to bed since I quit smoking 18 years ago. Today just might be an exception. I find myself fighting it, yet then I ask myself why, and I get the answer, "Because you need to." The weather has a big part of it, so again the key is acceptance.

[majestyjo]

Just for today readings for November

www.jftna.org/jft/

[majestyjo]

NA Just For Today

Life's Rewards

"We begin to pray only for God's will for us. That way, we get only what we are capable of handling."
Basic Text pg. 47

Imagine what might happen if God gave us everything we wanted. A fabulous new car, straight A's, a triple salary raise - all ours without effort, just for the asking.

Now imagine the problems that come along with unearned riches, new luxury cars, and unmerited scholastic recognition. What would we do with a huge salary raise that had been granted for no reason? How would we handle our new financial responsibilities? And how would we live up to that raise? Could we ever make it appear that we deserve such pay when we know we don't?

What about that fantastic new car? Most come with expensive insurance premiums and hefty maintenance costs. Are we prepared to care for what we've asked for?

Academic honors? Could we perform like A students after we'd been given high marks we hadn't earned? What would we do if we were exposed as frauds?

When we talk to God, we need to remember that we live in the real world. We earn rewards and learn to handle them as we do. Confining our prayers to requests for knowledge of God's will, the power to carry it out, and the ability to live with the consequences will ensure that we get no more than we can handle.

Just for today: I will pray only for knowledge of God's will and the power to carry that out in the real world.

[majestyjo]

December 9
Listening

"This ability to listen is a gift and grows as we grow spiritually. Life takes on a new meaning when we open ourselves to this gift."

Basic Text pg. 102

Have you ever watched two small children carry on a conversation? One will be talking about purple dragons while the other carries on about the discomfort caused by having sand in one's shoes. We sometimes encounter the same communication problems as we learn to listen to others. We may struggle through meetings, trying desperately to hear the person sharing while our minds are busy planning what we will say when it's our turn to speak. In conversation, we may suddenly realize that our answers have nothing to do with the questions we're being asked. They are, instead, speeches prepared while in the grip of our self-obsession.

Learning how to listen - really listen - is a difficult task, but one that's not beyond our reach. We might begin by acknowledging in our replies what our conversational partner is saying. We might ask if there is anything we can do to help when someone expresses a problem. With a little practice, we can find greater freedom from self-obsession and closer contact with the people in our lives.

Just for today: I will quiet my own thoughts and listen to what someone else is saying.

pg. 359

[majestyjo]

December 11, 2016

Misery is optional

Page 361

"No one is forcing us to give up our misery."

Basic Text, p. 29

It's funny to remember how reluctant we once were to surrender to recovery. We seemed to think we had wonderful, fulfilling lives as using addicts and that giving up our drugs would be worse than serving a life sentence at hard labor. In reality, the opposite was true: Our lives were miserable, but we were afraid to trade that familiar misery for the uncertainties of recovery.

It's possible to be miserable in recovery, too, though it's not necessary. No one will force us to work the steps, go to meetings, or work with a sponsor. There is no NA militia that will force us to do the things that will free us from pain. But we do have a choice. We've already chosen to give up the misery of active addiction for the sanity of recovery. Now, if we're ready to exchange today's misery for even greater peace, we have a means to do just that-if we really want to.

Just for Today: I don't have to be miserable unless I really want to be. Today, I will trade in my misery for the benefits of recovery.

I am only as miserable as I make up my mind to be. I have freedom of choice as long as I don't pick up that first drug, what ever form it takes. A drug is a drug.

Substitution doesn't work. All I do is end up with two or more addictions.

[majestyjo]

December 16

Where There's Smoke...

"Complacency is the enemy of members with substantial clean time. If we remain complacent for long, the recovery process ceases."

Basic Text pg. 80

Recognizing complacency in our recovery is like seeing smoke in a room. The "smoke" thickens when our meeting attendance drops, contact with newcomers decreases, or relations with our sponsor aren't maintained. With continued complacency; we won't be able to see through the smoke to find our way out. Only our immediate response will prevent an inferno.

We must learn to recognize the smoke of complacency. In NA, we have all the help We need to do that. We need to spend time with other recovering addicts because they may detect our complacency before we do. Newcomers will remind us of how painful active addiction can be. Our sponsor will help us remain focused, and recovery literature kept in easy reach can be used to extinguish the small flare-ups that happen from time to time. Regular participation in our recovery will surely enable us to see that wisp of smoke long before it becomes a major inferno.

Just for today: I will participate in the full range of my recovery; My commitment to NA is just as strong today as it was in the beginning of my recovery.

pg. 366

No way I could be complacent today, too many things got my attention. First off was hitting red lights going down main street, then we thought it was an accident, and when we got to the hold up, we saw the police had blocked John street and there was yellow ticker tape all around the court and there were a lot of police cars. Never did listen to the news to see what happened. Then I got to my group and got to chair the meeting. What do I do, forget the announcements and had to be reminded.

When I got home, I got attacked by a bout of fatigue, and I tried to come on line and combat it, but just had to go to bed. Tonight, when I went to take burgers out of the freezer, the lid fell on my arm, tore some skin and badly bruised it. I realized how much fear I had been carrying around since the put me on a blood thinner. Every time I moved my arm, it would start bleeding again. I had been thinking of my friend Theresa before I went to sleep today, but didn't call her. Seeing as I had to sit still and put pressure on my arm, I decided to call her only to find she had been thinking of me. She didn't call because she figured I would be sleeping, and I was.

I had two load of laundry to do. I got it done, but it was really pushing it. I finally had to ask my son for help to banadage my arm, I couldn't do it myself.

This is a one day at a time program. All things that happened to me would have been a reason to pick up. For me to use is to die, each day I have to find another option. I am so grateful for the tools of the program that help me to deal with life on life's terms.

[majestyjo]

December 20, 2016

Overcoming self-obsession

Page 370

"In living the steps, we begin to let go of our self-obsession."

Basic Text, p.97

Many of us came to the program convinced that our feelings, our wants, and our needs were of the utmost importance to everyone. We had practiced a lifetime of self-seeking, self-centered behavior and believed it was the only way to live.

That self-centeredness doesn't cease just because we stop using drugs. Perhaps we attend our first NA function and are positive that everyone in the room is watching us, judging us, and condemning us. We may demand that our sponsor be on call to listen to us whenever we want-and they, in turn, may gently suggest that the world does not revolve around us. The more we insist on being the center of the universe, the less satisfied we will be with our friends, our sponsor, and everything else.

Freedom from self-obsession can be found through concentrating more on the needs of others and less on our own. When others have problems, we can offer help. When newcomers need rides to meetings, we can pick them up. When friends are lonely, we can spend time with them. When we find ourselves feeling unloved or ignored, we can offer the love and attention we need to someone else. In giving, we receive much more in return-and that's a promise we can trust.

Just for Today: I will share the world with others, knowing they are just as important as I am. I will nourish my spirit by giving of myself.

In order to recover, I need to share my experience, strength, and hope. If I don't share it with others, it will shrivel up and die. The Spirit will go out of the blessings I receive as a result of working the Steps, because I will be back in my ISMs, I Self, and Me.

[majestyjo]

December 23, 2016

New Ideas

Page 373

"We reevaluate our old ideas so we can become acquainted with the new ideas that lead to a new way of life."

Basic Text, p.94

Learning to live a new way of life can be difficult. Sometimes, when the going gets especially hard, we're tempted to follow the path of least resistance and live by our old ideas again. We forget that our old ideas were killing us. To live a new way of life, we need to open our minds to new ideas.

Working the steps, attending meetings, sharing with others, trusting a sponsor - these suggestions may meet our resistance, even our rebellion. The NA program requires effort, but each step in the program brings us closer to becoming the kinds of people we truly want to be. We want to change, to grow, to become something more than we are today. To do that, we open our minds, try on the new ideas we've found in NA, and learn to live a new way of life.

Just for Today: I will open my mind to new ideas and learn to live my life in a new way.

Last night I was speaking to my spiritual advisor and was advised to change my thinking and thought patterns when I was praying. Indeed food for thought. A topic comes up until the lessn finally sinks in. A person at my home group keeps putting "open minded" on the topic list and every one was sick and tired of talking about it, me included.

[majestyjo]

NA Just For Today

Being Of Service

"Working with others is only the beginning of service work."
Basic Text, pg 56

We're in recovery now. Through living the program, we've attained some stability in our lives. Our faith in a Higher Power has grown. Our individual spiritual awakening is progressing comfortably. So now what? Do we simply sit still and enjoy? Of course not. We find a way to be of service.

We tend to think of service only in terms of committee service or holding a position at some level, but service goes far beyond this understanding. In fact, we can find opportunities to be of service in nearly every area of our lives. Our jobs are a form of service to our communities, no matter what our occupation. The work we do in our homes serves our families. Perhaps we do volunteer work in our communities.

What a difference our service efforts make! If we doubt this, we can just imagine what the world would be like if no one bothered to be of service to others. Our work serves humanity. The message we carry goes beyond the rooms of recovery, affecting everything we do.

Just for today: I will look for opportunities to be of service in everything I do.