One Day At A Time

Celebrating God's Love

For a little over forty-seven years, I have been in recovery through the grace of God and the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. I recently realized how often I take this gift from God for granted. Very often during the day, an AA slogan will come to mind and remind me that I am not alone on this journey. Every slogan and every one of the Twelve Steps point me back to the miracle I call sobriety.

I remember in my early sobriety, the word “God” brought tremendous feelings of guilt. How in the world was I going to have a relationship with Him if I was going to keep running away from Him? How was I going to work the steps and the slogans which speak volumes of a loving God that I didn’t yet fully understand?

I realized that if I were to get sober and maintain my sobriety, I would have to Keep It Simple and stop trying to bring God into my life. He was already there. I needed to Let Go and Let God do what He does best: love me unconditionally. Very slowly, the guilt was removed as I made room for Him through the program and with the help of my sponsor and began accepting that love and acceptance.

We come to God for many different reasons. For some, it begins with our upbringing. Perhaps we are born into a family that already acknowledges Him. But for many of us, our journey begins with insurmountable struggles. Our lives become so painful there is literally nowhere else to turn. That surrender takes courage and trust. I am absolutely convinced that I would not have the relationship with God that I have today if I had not found my way to AA through His grace and love. He gave me a program designed to look toward Him for a way out of the hell I was living...a hell that not only affected me but also everyone around me.

I’ve learned a lot about myself during the past forty-seven years. Through daily inventories, soul searching, and prayer I've learned about humility, forgiveness, and trust. But more importantly, I learned more about God: His mercy and relentless love. I am no longer ashamed to be me. I am a child of God. Through the God-given program of Alcoholics Anonymous, I am whole again and one day at a time I will be forever grateful for this incredible gift.