January 25
Already Connected
We may take pride in managing by ourselves while standing in a meeting room paid for by people we never met. The book in our hands passed through writers, printers, and members who made sure it remained available. Even our private morning reading depends on a great deal of human cooperation. Self-sufficiency looks different when we notice the company hidden inside it.
Step Three points toward forms of dependence we already accept without embarrassment. Remembering them can soften the resistance to spiritual help. We are not crossing from complete independence into some entirely foreign condition. We are becoming conscious of how life is shared, and considering whether to receive guidance with the same honesty. There is no loss of individuality in admitting this. Our own contribution can become clearer when we see ourselves among people whose efforts sustain us, rather than imagining that every useful thing begins and ends with us.
What support have I stopped noticing because it is so reliably present?
Much has already been given before my day begins.
For the A.A. nerds: As Bill Sees It, No. 26, “True Independence of the Spirit.”