When I become angry or resentful, it is in that moment that I manifest my human SELF-CENTEREDNESS. In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous it says "that we think is the root of our troubles." It also goes on to say "It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. To the precise point that we permit these do we squander the hours that might have been worthwhile. But with the alcoholic whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely grave. We found it fatal! For when harboring such thoughts we cut ourselves off from the sunlight of the spirit."
The solution to our alcoholism is a vital spiritual experience. We must give life to our relationship with God. We accomplish this by turning from our human nature and living in the will of God. We receive God's will through inspiration conditioned by prayer and meditation. We can't possibly be in the will of God when we are manifesting SELF - CENTEREDNESS in our lives , but by sobrogating our human nature to the will of God we cannot possibly manifest the SELF - CENTEREDNESS of our human nature in our behavior.
Written by Armand
My all-consuming self-centeredness left me stuck with myself in an ongoing stew of anger, isolation, defiance, resentment, and finally defeat. While AA focused me on being a defeated drinker, I was defeated far more deeply than the deadly hand of alcohol had reached. I felt rejected by my own soul. That was the bottom - a good place to start, perhaps the only place to start. In the Big Book program of recovery, I learned that life is to be fulfilled, not squandered. The path to my soul, I've learned further, is not circuitous. It leads directly from you to The Power Within me to the awakened me. But it is only by integrating all Twelve Steps into my life that my life has become fully awakened. Giving this gift away is not only the only way to keep it, it is the only way to express myself as the person I was born to be.
ReplyDeleteMichael we maximize our human potential when we surrender our nature and follow the dictates of a higher power. Well said my friend...Thank you...Armand
DeleteArmand,
ReplyDeleteTrue humility simply cannot exist in the mind and heart of a self-centered thinker. Humility, the state of being a God centered being only occurs as we spend time; serious time, in the presence of the Master, prayerfully communing with Him, seeking out His will and guidance in every moment so that our very lives begin to become the essence of his prayer. Consider Jesus' words recorded in Matthew 11:28 - 30, "Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." It is at this juncture, as we surrender our limited understanding of life on life's terms that we begin to be inspired by the Master, think the Masters thoughts and do the things the Master does as He progressively becomes the only object and destination of our journey.
At first, Gods will appears to be the diametric opposite of my own, inconvenient, out of focus and certainly not on my schedule... This well hidden self-centered pride pollutes everything. It stunts my spiritual growth, hobbles my relationships and causes me to miss His blessings. When I allow pride to reign, life becomes bland, truth becomes relative and values become debased. And so I pray:
Lord, You only ask that I believe You and are willing to let You change my life and help me to avoid my sinful impulses and bear unimpeachable testimony to your intervention into my life. Forgive me when I look away from you for even an instant and plummet into the all too threatening waves of life as did Peter in the Sea of Galilee when he took his eyes from you. For only when my mind is firmly planted upon Your Word and gloriously sweet Presence will I have the power to face the ambiguities of today with the absolutes of Your truth, guidance, grace and love with all whom you place upon my path.
Lord, keep me mindful of the eight words of God-centered servanthood: Without You, I can't; without me You won't. Think Your thoughts through me, speak Your truth through my words, and enable Your best for others through what You lead me to do.
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic
a Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic love when you wrote "our very lives become the essence of His prayer."...Thank you...Armand
ReplyDeleteSelf centeredness is fueled by my ego. My ego seems to be the source of all my fears and resentments. There is real peace and confidenced by developing humility. C.S. Lewis said, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less." Humility is the foundation of all spiritual virtues, and without it they are not possible to achieve. We discover humility as we work through the steps. It is our most powerful spiritual muscle we have. Self-centeredness withers away as we vease control of our ego, our human instincts, and we can then work our human instincts to do God's will instead of own. Living in the will of God with humility allows us to participate in the Creator's world as He wished us to live. The confidence we gain (not huberence) directs us to feel true sincerity. Serenity is not possible as we focus on ourselves in all situations.
ReplyDeletejim love when you wrote "humility allows us to participate in the Creators world as He wished us to live."...Thank you...Armand
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