It is my experience with my character defects that I can realize,
recognize, set boundaries and apply cognitive therapy and behavioral
modification till the cows come home and all I am doing is applying a
band aid to a festering sore. Instead we have to get to THE ROOT OF THE
PROBLEM. Our character defects exist in our human nature and certainly
not in the will of God. Therefore, if we are willing to perform the
work necessary for the spirit to be awakened within us by living in the
back half of The Eleventh Step which is "praying only for knowledge of
God's will for us and the power to carry that out" then our character
defects can't possibly manifest in our behavior. This power must come
from God as our human nature will only try to sustain our selfish
desires. Then we have pulled THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM.
I have learned through experience that I must turn from my human
nature and live in the will of God if my character defects are not to
exist in my behavior. In Alcoholics Anonymous there is a well used
expression which is "let go and let God." The let go part is that we
will no longer have our thought process propelled by our human instinct
and the let God part is that hereafter, we surrender to the idea that
God will propel our thought process through inspiration. Inspiration is
defined as "the thoughts of God implanted in the mind and soul of
man." When this transformation of thought has occurred, THE ROOT OF THE
PROBLEM has been healed.
This post spells out with specificity the root of the solution as well as the root of the problem. The dictionary defines "root" as "the place where something begins, where it springs into being." The problem, then, begins in my human nature and the solution springs from my divine nature. Simply put, I must live in my divine nature if I am to be free of all of the manifestations of self, starting with pride and fear and crashing in alcoholism. It is true that I was consumed with self, the result of which is always low self-esteem. Through The Twelve Steps I have had my spirit awakened to the care of The Power Within me and I have received peace of mind as a result. Inspiration does not come to the self-absorbed mind. But the thoughts of God, implanted not only into my mind but also my soul, have only been made accessible through digging in to the Program of Recovery as defined in The Big Book. I was told years ago that it would take a pick and shovel to find the ultimate gift of sobriety, a personal relationship with the God of my understanding and the awakened spirit that followed. To locate the root takes digging.
ReplyDeleteMichael Well said my friend. "the problem begins in my human nature and the solution springs from my divine nature." Certainly encapsulates the problem and the solution. A life lived directed by the will of God will heal our problem with alcoholism and all of our problems...Thank you...Armand
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