It is important that we plan for the future, imperative that
we accept an outcome unplanned. ~Molly Mcdonald

We sometimes feel confused over how to live just one day at a time while making strategic plans for the future. It seems contradictory to try to do both. Yet that is what a healthy recovery means.

Goals help direct our attention. They give us needed focus. They give us enthusiasm for making the most of our recovery. But just as we need goals to strengthen our resolve to move forward, we need willingness to let God be involved in our effort and even more important, in charge of the outcome. God’s role and ours, though related, are in fact quite separate. In our rush to move forward we sometimes forget to turn over the reins when our part is done.

We are learning the joys of living one day at a time. We are letting God be responsible for the outcomes of our endeavors. Each day in recovery gives us more time to practice doing only what we need to do and leaving the rest in God’s hands.

I must let God take charge of the outcomes of my efforts today.
If I do, I will be cared for in the most loving fashion.
~From A Woman’s Spirit

The second morning reading I’m sharing is Fear. There may be ideas that we don’t agree with in the Morning Readings, and I ask that we all try to find the good we can keep.

I walked across the open field at winter’s break as the sun
danced on the last few drifts. I imagined my fears would melt one
by one as I learned to love myself. ~Laurel Lewis

Fear is as familiar as our image in a mirror. Although we have resolved many of the fears that bound us to old behavior, our original fears may have been replaced by new ones. Why are there so many things to be afraid of?  New friends, old relationships, careers, family history, tomorrow…

Acknowledging our fear is the first step to getting free of its control. Naming the fear puts us in charge. Remembering that we have a love in God who won’t abandon us, even in the midst of our deepest fear, can help us get through too.

But loving our small, scared selves will be the most nurturing of all. Mothering ourselves, in the way we may have longed for mothering in our youth, will carry us through the most difficult times.

Fears are part of living. They are neither bad nor good; instead they can teach us. They can help us learn to love more of ourselves.

I will welcome my fears today.
They are my blueprint for who I am.
God and I will comfort me with love.
~From A Woman’s Spirit.