Ending the Struggle

This morning, I awakened with a daily struggle I have carried for several weeks—the struggle of loving a family member who appears not to align with many of my fundamental beliefs. I needed to find a path to meet the day with inner willingness, not outward struggle. I found the below quote helpful: 

"Do not struggle with the errors of others, wrestle only with your true intentions and you will be rewarded with the opportunity to succeed in conquering your destiny." — Anonymous 

Referring further to the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, I was reminded: 

"We have ceased fighting anything or anyone—even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame." — Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book), Chapter 6 

"Resentment is the ‘number one’ offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else." — Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book), p. 64 

"When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation—some fact of my life—unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment." — Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book), p. 417 (often referred to as the Acceptance passage) 

 

Instead of wrestling with the errors of others, the focus should be on internal acceptance and change. 

• "Do not waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good." — Ralph Waldo Emerson 

• "He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior." — Confucius 

• "Man is not the enemy here, but the fellow victim." — John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath 

• "I will not allow my life's light to be determined by the darkness around me." — Sojourner Truth 

Turning to scripture, my foundation in strength, I then found the following: 

• "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." — Philippians 3:13-14 

• "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." — Doctrine & Covenants 64:10 

• "The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired." — President Gordon B. Hinckley, Standing for Something 

 

 Instead of struggling with others’ wrongs, we find purpose and success in service and personal growth. 

This journey of self-reflection has taught me that I cannot control the beliefs and actions of others, but I can control my response. By choosing inner peace, acceptance, and faith, I take a step forward in conquering my own destiny. 

Good Morning 

Heirs to the Kingdom

In the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 125, there is a thought to ponder: 

"For it is only by accepting and solving our problems that we can begin to get right with ourselves and with the world about us, and with Him who presides over us all. Understanding is the key to right principles and attitudes, and right action is the key to good living; therefore, the joy of good living is the theme of A.A.’s Twelfth Step." 

This quote resonates deeply and reminds me of other passages from scripture that speak of our divine inheritance: 

• James 2:5 (KJV) – "Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?" 

• Romans 8:17 (KJV) – "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." 

• Doctrine and Covenants 25:1 – “Verily I say unto you, all those who receive my gospel are sons and daughters in my kingdom.” 

 

What Does This Mean in Everyday Life? 

These passages and reflections offer profound insights into what it means to be Heirs to the Kingdom and how we can apply this concept in our daily lives. Here are some key takeaways: 

• A Divine Inheritance – Those who follow Christ and live according to His teachings are considered heirs of God’s promises. This is not an inheritance of material wealth but of eternal blessings and spiritual abundance. 

• A Life of Peace and Fulfillment – The inheritance includes not only eternal life but also peace, purpose, and the fullness of God’s blessings in our lives today. Living in faith allows us to experience the joy and serenity that come from trusting in God’s plan. 

• A Shared Glory with Christ – As believers, we are called to walk alongside Christ, sharing in both His sufferings and His glory. This means living a life of service, humility, and faith, knowing that our trials have purpose and lead to greater blessings. 

• The Kingdom is Now – While we often think of God’s Kingdom as something to come in the future, Jesus taught that it is also present now. By living in God’s grace, embracing His love, and practicing principles of faith, we begin to experience the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. 

 

Just as AA’s Twelfth Step speaks of the joy of good living through right action, our journey as heirs to the Kingdom is about actively embracing a life of faith, service, and trust in God. Through understanding, obedience, and love, we step into the fullness of our divine inheritance—both now and forever. 

What steps can we take today to live as heirs of the Kingdom? 

The Science of Faith

When I called AA for the first time, I had no idea what to expect. I guessed that AA members were there to help you control your drinking—to control it or modify it. All I had was the faith that my secretary might have a solution to regain my family and my life that was in shambles. 

Per Francis Bacon: "They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea." 

This was the position I was in. 

As we read in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous: 

"We were having trouble with personal relationships, we couldn’t control our emotional natures, we were a prey to misery and depression, we couldn’t make a living, we had a feeling of uselessness, we were full of fear, we were unhappy, we couldn’t seem to be of real help to other people—was not a basic solution of these bedevilments more important than whether we should see newsreels of lunar flight?" — Big Book, p. 52 ("The Bedevilments") 

Then we were told: 

"Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path." — Big Book, p. 58 

This gave me hope. I "found a new freedom and a new happiness. I no longer regretted the past nor wished to shut the door on it." 

Faith became my journey to sobriety and recovery. 

• "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." — Martin Luther King Jr. 

• "Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them." — Elisabeth Elliot 

• "You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope." — Thomas Merton 

Through AA, I found a faith sufficient to move my mountains of fear and adversity and place my life on a path of recovery. The only requirement was to pass that faith on by helping others. 

"By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." — Romans 5:2-5 

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." — 2 Nephi 31:20 

May your day be full of faith, hope, and charity.