Serenity is the absence of conflict in our thoughts. We who have committed ourselves to the program (the Twelve Steps) of Alcoholics Anonymous have deemed that it is the program itself which must come first in our lives. Alongside such a commitment comes a personal relationship with a supreme power. In the chapter How It Works in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous it says " that One is God, may you find Him now. . Living by these honorable ideals ushers the blessings of serenity into the stream of our lives - no matter what transpires.
In the Alcoholics Anonymous literature, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, such a paragon way of living is elucidated: "We are no longer frightened and purposeless. The moment we catch even a glimpse of God's will, the moment we begin to see truth, justice and love as the real and eternal things in life, we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence to the contrary that surrounds us in purely human affairs. We know that God lovingly watches over us."
By integrating the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous into our lives in such a way that they become our lives, and by manifesting the principles of those steps in our behavior, we have the opportunity to have safe and serene lives. Remembering that joy is not the absence of sorrow, but the presence of God … experience serenity we will.
Written By Armand
Written By Armand
I know serenity as the presence of a spirit far greater than the pain and tumult that preceded it. In the program of recovery, I learned, however, that I had to know darkness in order to find and live in the light. The Big Book tells us that the destruction of self-centeredness is the price of admission to a purposeful life. The pain-of-my-own-making was transformed into The Great Reality by adopting the way of life you iterate in your post. As sobriety does not solely mean the absence of drunkenness, recovery does mean the presence of self through The Power Within me. For me, that is the certainty of serenity regardless of events. Spirituality itself is the event.
ReplyDeleteMichael thank you so much for sharing your experience...Armand
DeleteArmand,
ReplyDeleteAnything less than the "complete surrender" of our personhood, that is, the very seat of our intellect, emotions and spirit to the very Person of God as "suggested" in the 4th and 5th steps will prove to be an absolute exercise in futility. Our failure to do so serves clear notice that we are still under the delusion that we may yet somehow possess the leverage to negotiate the "terms and conditions of our surrender" allowing us to carry on with our lives as though alcohol or any other substance abuse issue was our only problem and were it not for that "daemon rum" life would be just dandy. However, much like a marriage, the purpose of executing these steps in the presence of either an AA sponsor or other spiritual advisor is to have a temporal witness to this deeply spiritual transformation that brings about the birth of a new, eternal and sacred relationship between God, and in my case, man.
As long as this alcoholic entertained any thought or imagining that God wants me to climb back into the drivers seat and direct life's tour would easily come under the definition of insanity and the basic foundation of the mental meanderings of a megalomaniac. It reminds me of the bumper stickers I've seen that say "God is my Co-Pilot"... I want to run up to the driver and fervently encourage them to pry their fingers off the "wheel" and quickly swap seats, for although that type of thinking may provide a form of spiritual walk it completely lacks the internal Power of the Author and Finisher of the journey as we now mistakenly rely upon Him to accomplish our will with His power which He, in His loving mercy, will never allow. He will allow us to continue to experience the frustratingly painful consequences of a counterfeit journey until we finally surrender and place the keys of our lives into His perfectly capable hands. Simply put, This gratefully recovering alcoholic is incapable of personally generating one millivolt of the serenity spoken of in the Big Book. Never could, never will. But God can and will if He is sought.
Serenity, is a gift of God to all who "humble themselves and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways", For then His eyes shall be open and His ears attentive to the prayers of this place. And thus, He says, "I shall grant you a time of refreshment". That, my brother, is serenity.
Alcohol made my life unmanageable. I had no peace or serenity. But alcohol was only a symptom of my true malady, self centered fear. Armand, you taught us that. Alcohol only exacerbated the situation. I had no peace mainly because I had no purpose in my life. The program of Alcoholics Anonymous gave me a process to first not to drink, next to begin to remove the baggage I was carrying, next to learn how to build and develop relationships with God and people. Through the entire process I was able to develop the purpose in my life. The purpose and the set of principles I now obtained through this way of living gave me confidence to live my life. Serenity is a byproduct of that confidence. There is a fine line between confidence and hubris. If I continue to live in the will of God I know that no matter the joy or suffering I am living without conflict. AA is a way of life that if followed leads us to do the will of God. The Serenity Prayer gives us the outline for living because it starts with God. "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference. God's will, not mine, be done." I find peace and serenity knowing that doing the will of God I can walk through this life into the next without fear or conflict.
ReplyDeleteJim people often find their purpose in life in the solving of their problems...Thank you...Armand
DeleteToday I am seeking inner peace, contentment & serenity. I know that god’s loving grace can offer me the blessings of serenity. I am trusting that practicing and living the steps, having a daily reprieve dependent upon the maintenance of my spiritual condition will enable me to match calamity with serenity. I can do my best to accept the things that I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.
ReplyDeleteMy primary purpose is to stay sober and help others achieve soberity aday at a time easy does it each day is a new day let live
ReplyDelete