October 18 – Black Ink Days
“Gratitude should go forward, rather than backward. If you carry the message to still others, you will be making the best possible repayment for God’s grace to you.” — As Bill Sees It, p. 29
My inventory isn’t written in red ink every day — and thank God for that. Some days it’s black ink, the good kind, where I actually get to write down what went right. For the longest time I thought inventory was about digging through defects, trying to fix myself like a broken engine. But lately I’ve realized it’s also about gratitude — writing down the grace that showed up uninvited.
If I’m really powerless, then every sober day is proof that something bigger is still working in my life. I didn’t earn this. I just get to carry it forward. When I hear a guy say he’s got ten years, I don’t think, wow, he’s strong. I think, wow, God gave him ten years of grace, one day at a time.
That’s what keeps me steady. When I forget the grace, I start believing I got myself sober — and that lie has taken stronger people than me right back out. These days, my inventory’s got a few thank-yous mixed in with the amends.
What would your day look like if you counted blessings instead of blunders?
