I am often asked, "HOW WILL I KNOW WHAT GOD'S WILL FOR ME IS?" The Big Book
of Alcoholics Anonymous says "...that it is not probable that we are going
to be inspired at all times. We might pay for this presumption in all
sorts of absurd actions and ideas. Nevertheless, we find that as time
passes our thinking will be more and more on the plane of inspiration
We come to rely on it." Inspiration is defined as "the thoughts of God
implanted in the mind and soul of man." Once the thoughts of God hit my soul I don't need to run it by my intellect to know it is the Truth.
Although
I am not yet capable of turning my will and my life over to the care of God
in Step Three, I AM capable of making a decision - a final choice - to do
so. Deciding from this day forward that I am willing to not allow my
thought processes to be propelled by my human instincts but rather by the
will of God through inspiration.
If you have already made that
decision, may God bless you. If you have not, perhaps now would be
the time for you to make it - to turn your thoughts and behavior over to
the care of God and begin to live a life of peace.
How many ways are there to live a life of peace? For me, there is only one. Yes, I've had moments of happiness, even glee, but they were always short-lived and tinged with fear. Of real happiness, I knew none at all. Through The Twelve Steps, I've learned that I was depending on the wrong source for my state of mind. And that by incorporating the Steps into my life, I would be "granted a gift that amounts to a new state of consciousness and being." That gift is the personal relationship that now exists between me and The Power Within me. That gift has changed everything. Letting go of me has unblocked the path to recovery and has freed my mind from its bondage. My will and His Will for me is no longer an impossible mystery. The gentle touch of The Steps has turned me to The Light.
ReplyDeleteMichael A life lived to protect our instincts is a life of fear, resentment and anxiety. A life lived where our human nature is surrendered to the will of God can lead only to a life of joy and peace...Thank you...Armand
ReplyDeleteWhile being piloted by my own will I never actually get anywhere. I look to the next moment or day or person to sustain an excitement for life but all I am doing in that process is CONSTANTLY missing out on it and it's gifting nature. I despise being stuck in such a spot - where eventually nothing seems worth getting through and looking within is an option I am completely blind to and ignorant of. In my will it is as though my soul is a vile of poison, only being filled with MY thoughts and MY deceitfulness; spilling out on others and catching fire when it wants to. The pettiness that was life was a burden to me, fed by endless cries of self-pity and prayer-less nights. In God's will there is freedom. Yes, your freedom stems from your surrender. Lifting the rock off my chest not only brings gorges of relief but it allows the Light to be upon me, to go through me, and encompass all around me. When this occurs I can inspire others simply by existing outside my own parameters and allowing the Ruler to do as He bid.
ReplyDeleteCaitlin Thank you so much for sharing your experience with self will and your experience with God's will. If prayer and meditation is incorporated into an alcoholics morning than in that day our consciousness of God is heightened and through that very act His inspiration is received. For then God is at work within us helping us to want to obey Him, and then helping us do what he wants...Armand
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