May 1

HEALING HEART AND MIND

Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
—  TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 65

Since it is true that God comes to me through people, I can see that by keeping people at a distance I also keep God at a distance. God is nearer to me than I think and I can experience Him by loving people and allowing people to love me. But I can neither love nor be loved if I allow my secrets to get in the way.

It's the side of myself that I refuse to look at that rules me. I must be willing to look at the dark side in order to heal my mind and heart because that is the road to freedom. I must walk into darkness to find the light and walk into fear to find peace.

By revealing my secrets — and thereby ridding myself of guilt — I can actually change my thinking; by altering my thinking, I can change myself. My thoughts create my future. What I will be tomorrow is determined by what I think today.

Copyrighted © 1990. Reprinted with permission by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.