EASY DOES IT - April 21 2026

EARNING REWARDS

I got a religion that wants to take heaven out of the clouds and plant it right here on earth where most of us can get a slice of it.

~ Irwin Shaw ~

We learn that there are no free trips to abstinence. There aren’t any “rain checks” we can take that will give us a head start back to abstinence if we slip. We can’t argue that bad luck or betrayal by others were responsible for the relapse.

We won’t ever be promised that we will have overnight comfort or success. Our success in the Program is decided by how hard we work it. We will get from the Steps only as much as we give it. Our investment in serenity and security will earn simple, real interest. There aren’t any easy contests to win.

The rewards I receive from the Program will be equal to the effort I put into my recovery.

©1990 by Anonymous. All rights reserved. Published by Hazelden. 

WALK IN DRY PLACES #essentialsofrecovery

THE REWARDS OF HONESTY

Honesty

Sometimes we think that honesty is simply too painful and demanding—all sacrifice with no gain. If we are completely honest with ourselves, however, the results can only be positive.

What are the advantages of being entirely honest about our motives and feelings? One benefit is that we never will have to face the disillusionment and humiliation that come from self-deception. Surely we had enough of that while drinking.

Honesty also speaks for itself. People know intuitively when a person is completely honest, and they are drawn to that person because of it. An honest AA member—one who has truly faced personal faults—also becomes an example to others.

The honest person has self-respect and a clear conscience. In real honesty, there is no inner struggle to keep up appearances or to pretend we are anybody except ourselves.

Honesty makes us comfortable rather than pained, relaxed rather than anxious, and decisive rather than confused. These are rich rewards for people who once lived in the false world of alcoholism.

I’ll try to be honest in all things today. In any case, I will at least be honest with myself about my true motives and feelings.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation 

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FR. LEO'S DAILY MEDITATION #essentialsofrec #frLeo #Understanding

UNDERSTANDING

“Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, seek not to understand that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand.”

~ Saint Augustine ~

I understand that God is love. It makes more sense to live my life with love than with anger, resentment, or despair. I know the answer to life, with any problems that may arise, is love: not simply loving those people who love me, but beginning to love and understand those who dislike or hate me. Being imperfect people in an imperfect world produces enemies.

Today I love my world by listening to my critics, changing unreasonable attitudes, and growing in the humility that comes from silence. Change is part of God’s blessing of love. This I believe. This I understand. And, step by step, it is beginning to work in my life.

May my love for the world give me an understanding of self.

© 2008 Leo Booth

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Daily Reflections #essentialsofrecovery

THE REWARDS OF GIVING


“This is, indeed, the kind of giving that actually demands nothing. He does not expect his brother sufferer to pay him, or even to love him. And then he discovers that by the divine paradox of this kind of giving he has found his own reward, whether his brother has yet received anything or not.”

—TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 109

Through experience with Twelfth Step work, I came to understand the rewards of giving that demands nothing in return. At first I expected recovery in others, but I soon learned that this did not happen. Once I acquired the humility to accept the fact that every Twelfth Step call was not going to result in a success, then I was open to receive the rewards of selfless giving.

From the book Daily Reflections 
© Copyright 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services 

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DAILY REFLECTIONS #essentialsofrecovery

A PRICELESS REWARD

. . . work with other alcoholics. . . . It work when other activities fail.

~ ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 8

“Life will take on new meaning,” as the Big Book says (p.89). This promise has helped me to avow self-seeking and self-pity. To watch others grow in this wonderful program, to see them improve the quality of their lives, is a priceless reward for my effort to help others. Self- examination is yet another reward for an ongoing recovery, as are serenity, peace and contentment. The energy derived from seeing others on a successful path, of sharing with them the joys of the journey, gives to my life a new meaning.

Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc

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DAILY REFLECTIONS #essentialsofrecovery

THE REWARDS OF GIVING

This is indeed the kind of giving that actually demands nothing. He does not expect his brother sufferer to pay him, or even to love him. And then he discovers that by the divine paradox of this kind of giving he has found his own reward, whether his brother has yet received anything or not.

~ TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 109 ~

Through experience with Twelfth Step work, I came to understand the rewards of giving that demands nothing in return. At first I expected recovery in others, but I soon learned that this did not happen. Once I acquired the humility to accept the fact that every Twelfth Step call was not going to result in a success, then I was open to receive the rewards of selfless giving.

Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc 

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DAILY REFLECTIONS #essentialsofrecovery

A PRICELESS REWARD

. . . work with other alcoholics. . . . It work when other activities fail.

~ ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 8 ~

“Life will take on new meaning,” as the Big Book says (p.89). This promise has helped me to avow self-seeking and self-pity. To watch others grow in this wonderful program, to see them improve the quality of their lives, is a priceless reward for my effort to help others. Self- examination is yet another reward for an ongoing recovery, as are serenity, peace and contentment. The energy derived from seeing others on a successful path, of sharing with them the joys of the journey, gives to my life a new meaning.

Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc 

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JUST FOR TODAY #essentialsofrecovery

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.

© 1991 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services Inc 

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AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX #essentialsofrecovery

INCREASING YOUR DIVIDENDS

For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath (Matthew 25:29).

This great text has been a stumbling block to many. It looks like injustice. It sounds like cruelty. Yet Jesus said it, and we know that he was always right.

The explanation is logical when you have the key to life. Your experience is the expression (pressing out) of your state of mind or consciousness, at any time. When your consciousness is high, everything goes well. When your consciousness is low or limited, everything goes wrong.

When trouble comes the usual thing is to meet it with fear, anger, disappointment, self-pity, or brutal will power. This naturally lowers the consciousness a good deal more, and things get still worse. From him that hath not (much) harmony, shall be taken away even that which he hath.

Harmony and joy naturally raise your consciousness and your faith in God still higher, and so things improve further. Unto everyone that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance. This is a simple statement of natural law. Let us thank God that this wonderful law exists. 

© 1931 by Emmet Fox

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WALK IN DRY PLACES #essentialsofrecovery

THE REWARDS OF TRUTH

Seeking the Truth

The punishment of the liar is that he cannot believe anyone else,” wrote one shrewd philosopher. This is another way of saying that we reap what we sow, or that we tend to judge others by our own actions.

But when we decide to be completely truthful, we are not immediately given the ability to discern whether others are lying or not. It’s more important for us to realize that others’ lies don’t have the power to hurt us permanently if we persevere in the program.

Some people would argue with this, pointing to lies that have hurt innocent people in the past. But having no way of knowing all the facts of these cases, we cannot be the judge.

In our own experience, we’ll find that God alone is the source of all truth and will give us the protection and care we need if we seek truthfulness in everything we do. Any fear of being victimized by lying, we’ll learn, will melt away as we follow this conviction.

I’ll be as discreet as possible today, but I’ll also be truthful. I’ll find that this alone will lessen any fear of being victimized by a liar.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation

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TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY #essentialsofrecovery

A.A. Thought for the Day

During our thoughts about the rewards that have come to us as a result of our new way of living, we find that we have new kinds of homes, new relationships with our spouses and our children. Also peace, contentment, hope, faith, charity, and new ambition. What are some of the things we have lost? Each one of us can answer this question in many ways. I have lost much of my fear. It used to control me; it was my master. It paralyzed my efforts. Fear always got me down. It made me an introvert, an ingrown person. When fear was replaced by faith, I got well. Have I lost some of my fears?

Meditation for the Day

The world would sooner be brought close to God. His will would sooner be done on earth, if all who acknowledge Him gave themselves unreservedly to being used by Him. God can use every human being as a channel for divine love and power. What delays the bringing of the world closer to God is the backwardness of His followers. If each one lived each day for God and allowed God to work through him, then the world would soon be drawn much closer to God, its Founder and Preserver.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be used as a channel to express the Divine Love. I pray that I may so live as to bring God’s spirit closer to the world.

© 1954, 1975, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation 

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TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY #essentialsofrecovery

A.A. Thought for the Day

What other rewards have come to me as a result of my new way of living? Each one of us can answer this question in many ways. My relationship with my husband or my wife is on an entirely new plane. The total selfishness is gone and more cooperation has taken its place. My home is a home again. Understanding has taken the place of misunderstanding recriminations, bickering, and resentment. A new companionship has developed which bodes well for the future. “There are homes where fires burn and there is bread, lamps are lit and prayers are said. Though people falter through the dark and nations grope, with God Himself back of these little homes, we still can hope.” Have I come home?

Meditation for the Day

We can bow to God’s will in anticipation of the thing happening which will, in the long run, be the best for all concerned. It may not always seem the best thing at the present time, but we cannot see as far ahead as God can. We do not know how His plans are laid, we only need to believe that if we trust Him and accept whatever happens as His will in a spirit of faith, everything will work out for the best in the end.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not ask to see the distant scene. I pray that one step may be enough for me.

© 1954, 1975, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation

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12 Rewards of Recovery #essentialsofrecovery

This is what we get when we try to live the program :

1. Hope instead of desperation.

2. Faith instead of despair.

3. Courage instead of fear.

4. Peace of mind instead of confusion.

5. Self-respect instead of self-contempt.

6. Self-confidence instead of helplessness.

7. The respect of others instead of their pity and contempt.

8. A clean conscience instead of a sense of guilt.

9. Real friendship instead of loneliness.

10. A clean pattern of life instead of a purposeless existence.

11. The love and understanding of our families instead of their doubts and fears.

12. The freedom of a happy life instead of the bondage of Addiction.

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A DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrecovery

Reflection for the Day

Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the rewards that would be mine when I first contemplated turning my life and will over to the care of God as I understand Him. Now I can rejoice in the blessing of my own recovery, as well as the recoveries of countless others who have found hope and a new way of life in the Program. After all the years of waste and terror, I realize today that God has always been on my side and at my side. Isn’t my clearer understanding of God’s will one of the best things that has happened to me?

Today I Pray

May I be thankful for the blessed contrast between the way my life used to be (Part I) and the way it is now (Part II). In Part I, I was the practicing addict, adrift among my fears and delusions. In Part II, I am the recovering addict, rediscovering my emotions, accepting my responsibilities, learning what the real world has to offer without the contrast, I could never feel the joy I know today or sense the peaceful nearness of my Higher Power.

Today I Will Remember

I am grateful for such contrast.

© 1989 by Hazelden Foundation 

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A Day At A Time #essentialsofrecovery

Reflection For The Day

Prayer can have many rewards. One of the greatest rewards is the sense of belonging it brings to me. No longer do I live as a stranger in a strange land, alien in a completely hostile world. No longer am I lost, frightened and purposeless. I belong. We find, in The Program, that the moment we catch a glimpse of God’s will — the moment we begin to see truth, justice and love as the real and eternal things in life — we’re no longer so deeply upset by all the seeming evidence to the contrary surrounding us in purely human affairs. Do I believe that God lovingly watches over me?

Today I Pray

May I be grateful for the comfort and peace of belonging — to God the ultimately wise “parent” and to His family on earth. May I no longer need bumper stickers or boisterous gangs to give me my identity. Through prayer, I am God’s.

Today I Will Remember

I find my identity through prayer. 

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DAILY REFLECTIONS #essentialsofrec #Rewards #Giving

  20
December


THE REWARDS OF GIVING

This is indeed the kind of giving that actually demands nothing. He does not expect his brother sufferer to pay him, or even to love him. And then he discovers that by the divine paradox of this kind of giving he has found his own reward, whether his brother has yet received anything or not.

~ TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 109 

Through experience with Twelfth Step work, I came to understand the rewards of giving that demands nothing in return. At first I expected recovery in others, but I soon learned that this did not happen. Once I acquired the humility to accept the fact that every Twelfth Step call was not going to result in a success, then I was open to receive the rewards of selfless giving.

Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc

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JUST FOR TODAY #essentialsofrec #NA #Rewards

  1
December

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.

© 1991 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services Inc

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day #essentialsofrec #Recovery #Reward

28
October
A.A. Thought For The Day

What other rewards have come to me as a result of my new way of living? Each one of us can answer this question in many ways. My relationship with my husband or my wife is on an entirely new plane. The total selfishness is gone and more cooperation has taken its place. My home is a home again. Understanding has taken the place of misunderstanding recriminations, bickering, and resentment. A new companionship has developed which bodes well for the future. “There are homes where fires burn and there is bread, lamps are lit and prayers are said. Though people falter through the dark and nations grope, with God Himself back of these little homes, we still can hope.” Have I come home?

Meditation For The Day

We can bow to God’s will in anticipation of the thing happening which will, in the long run, be the best for all concerned. It may not always seem the best thing at the present time, but we cannot see as far ahead as God can. We do not know how His plans are laid, we only need to believe that if we trust Him and accept whatever happens as His will in a spirit of faith, everything will work out for the best in the end.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may not ask to see the distant scene. I pray that one step may be enough for me.

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A Day At A Time #essentialsofrec #recovery #Rewards

18
October

Reflection For The Day

Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the rewards that would be mine when I first contemplated turning my life and will over to the care of God as I understand Him. Now I can rejoice in the blessing of my own recovery, as well as the recoveries of countless others who have found hope and a new way of life in The Program. After all the years of waste and terror, I realize today that God has always been on my side and at my side. Isn’t my clearer understanding of God’s will one of the best things that has happened to me?

Today I Pray

May I be thankful for the blessed contrast between the way my life used to be (Part 1) and the way it is now (Part II). In Part I, I was the practicing addict, adrift among my fears and delusions. In Part II, I am the recovering addict, rediscovering my emotions, accepting my responsibilities, learning what the real world has to offer, growing close to my Higher Power. Without the contrast, I could never feel the joy I know today or sense the peaceful nearness of my Higher Power.

Today I Will Remember

I am grateful for such contrast.

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The Eye Opener #essentialsofrec #Rewards #Compensation

   6
September

The amount of compensation you get for your labors depends on the value of the currency, not the denomination of the bills. A million dollars in Chinese coin would break your back carrying it, but might not buy you a suit of clothes.

The greatest compensation would therefore be that which would buy those things which you need and want.

For services rendered your fellow men, God gives you his IOU, and they are better than cash on the line in any currency.

Copyright Hazelden Foundation

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