In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous it says, "We shall describe some of the states that precede a relapse into drinking, for obviously this is the crux of the problem. What sort of thinking dominates an alcoholic who repeats time after time the experiment of the first drink.....therefore the main problem of the alcoholic centers in the mind rather than in the body."If our thought processes are propelled by the will of God rather than our human instincts we will not drink. Our character defects cannot manifest themselves in our behavior if we are in His will. Instead, our character has been perfected, as we are now the human being that God created us to be.
In THE FOURTH DIMENSION OF LIFE we become a human being that cares about others in such a genuine way. We become a human being that wants to help others. We think of other's needs before our own. In the Big Book it states, "Our very lives as ex-problem drinkers depends upon our constant thoughts of others and how we may help meet their needs."
We benefit in using all tools of recovery but, above all, we must turn from our human nature and live in the will of God. By doing so we will live a human life we could have only imagined we would. We will manifest THE FOURTH DIMENSION OF LIFE - a life free from the bondage of ourselves.
Written by Armand
Since may last drink I have never relapsed nor have I ever felt the urge/need for a drink. My soul sickness was so severe that a drink simply meant more pain. The fourth dimension was not immediate but the pathway in that direction was. Upon entering AA, I instinctively knew that I was forgiven, that I was understood, that I was in the presence of unmitigated love. But it was by integrating all Twelve Steps into my life in such a way that they became my life that I fully felt the fourth dimension - a new level of consciousness and being. Every day in every way provided that my heart is open and that love and tolerance remains my code. I am forever inspired and grateful to my core.
ReplyDeleteMichael the Fourth Dimension is a life free of the pain and anxiety experienced in our human nature...thank you...Armand
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ReplyDeleteEvery step is in the order it is for a reason and Step 11 is no exception. All are written in the form of a testimony, a collective deposition if you will, of the journey on the road less traveled by those who have gone before with a simple clarity seldom encountered in secular writings. For in A.A. I have learned to abandon every personal effort to "work" Step 11 as though it were a point on the "great check list of recovery" and simply surrender to His presence.
The journey itself is the destination. And through God's grace, a fervently desired resting place. It is; in its entirety, God's gift to everyone who is willing to embrace the immutable truth of His word and the undeniable Presence of His Person and began the moment I made a decision to turn my will and my life over to the care of God as I understood Him. Life, once a shallow shadowy series of lessons best forgotten is transformed into a never ending manifestation of joy and peace, as moment by moment He graciously provides the ultimate gift of His divine calling, that is, that my entire life becomes His prayer.
So as the psalmist I urge all to “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass… Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.” Yes, I am thoroughly convinced that the Creator of All continues to lovingly conform every aspect of my life into His personal prayer and vision for me as I fervently seek His still small voice, in the limitless fullness of His presence...
A Grateful Recovering Alcoholic
A Gratefully recovering Alcoholic the back half of the 11th step is "praying only for the knowledge of Gods will for us and the power to carry it out." You said it more simply when you wrote 'simply surrender to His presence.'...thank you...Armand
DeleteAs I live a day at a time seeking only knowledge of God’s will for me and the power to carry it out I become more aware that my nature is fearful and self-centered. I seek to find God’s comfort, grace and will, living less in self-centered fear. I have a true desire to live in the will of God and to think of others and less of myself.
ReplyDeleteJessica
Jessica so cliche but live a day at a time and all Good will come to pass for you...Thank you...Armand
ReplyDelete"Worst of all, we forgot about God," as it says in Step 12 of the 12 x 12. Occasionally I am too busy to do an Eleventh Step in the morning-- to meditate, to establish conscious contact with God as I understand God, to pray only for knowledge of His will for me. I don't have time for all that! So I rush right into my day-- then I wonder why I had a bad day. I am in the Bondage of Self and don't even know it. It can happen fast! And if it happens too many days in a row, I am not only out of the Fourth Dimension, I am headed back to the bottle. I have to always put my Program first... so that I can live in the will of God, and not in self.
ReplyDeleteDan as we both understand through experience there is a reason why it is called Morning Meditation...Thank you...armand
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