After having admitted that I was alcoholic I soon found out that alcohol in and of itself was not my problem, but was the manifestation of my problem. The true problem was self-centered fear - afraid that I was not going to get what I want and afraid that I was going to lose what I had.In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous it says, "When dealing with the fear problem, or any other problem, perhaps there is a better way as we are now on a different basis, the basis of trusting and relying upon God. We trust infinite God rather than finite self. We are in the world to play the role God assigns. Just to the extent we do as we think God would have us do and humbly rely on God, does God enable us to match calamity with serenity. We never apologize to anyone for depending on our creator. We can laugh at those who think spirituality is the way of weakness. The verdict of the ages is that faith means courage. All possessors of faith have courage. They trust their God. We let God demonstrate through us what God can do. We ask God to remove our fear and direct our attention to what we should be doing. At once, we commence to outgrow fear."
The integration of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous into our lives leads to a personal relationship with God. Prior to that occurring, fear haunted all of our being, was in all of our moments, driving all of our decisions in an attempt to satiate our instincts. We were afraid that we were not going to get what we wanted and afraid that we were going to lose what we had. Today, in this moment, that can change. That will change for all of us if we are in alignment with God's will for us. We will then know a peace we have never before experienced.
Written by Armand
Armand,
ReplyDeleteWithout God I wandered as a lost child through "a house of mirrors" only to eventually become the distorted image reflected in every wavy glass. The very instant I surrendered to God I passed, not into a new world, but an entirely new dimension. Prayerfully, In His presence, is an instantaneous awareness that the old familiar self taught survival skills and situational ethics once relied upon to preserve a false flag adventure of two dimensional living must be forever abandoned. It is now my willingness to accept His divinely inspired seeds of faith that casts out fear as my imperfect apprehension of that faith is refined in practice through the fire of His perfect guidance and eternal love.
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic our illness is self centered fear. The solution is a vital spiritual solution. Live in this solution and that alcoholic can find peace...Thank you...Armand
DeleteNo question that fear first pre-occupied then pervaded my life, even prior to the first drink. Why that darkness dominated, who really knows. However, fear became the corrosive thread that ran through my entirety. Alcohol eased the fear initially,,then disabled me of any shred of former decency or humanity. Engulfed in a sea of fear, I relied on my thinking and subsequent behavior to carry me through the battle of me. In The Second Step, I learned the power of trust. Instructed to stop fighting it and to practice the remaining Steps as enthusiastically as I could, I located the missing part of me, the greatest part of me, all of me - in the presence of The Power Within me. Each day hence by incorporating The Steps into my life, I continue to trust myself and my life through The Power Within. Trust is real, fear is the falsity of my imperiled mind and unaided will. Living in peace is the difference.
ReplyDeleteMichael trusting in god is an expression in humility. Humility is the key that unlocks the door to the grace of God...Thank you...Armand
DeleteI am asking God to remove my fears and direct my attention to what he would have me be...fear can drive me and instead of relying on self, I need to remember to rely on God and his will. Seeking the knowledge of his will for me and the power to carry it out. To have courage, to have faith and trust in God.
ReplyDeleteJessica a recovered alcoholic as opposed to an alcoholic in recovery lives in the back half of the 11th Step that you expressed so well...Thank you...Armand
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