Thereafter 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
I can't add anything more on the subject of FEAR than you and The Big Book have already written. Except, perhaps, that "you know it when you have it". And that its manifestations are often surprising and seemingly endless. In the opposite direction, however, I can add my experience on fear's much stronger antidote - TRUST. My mind will never overcome my fear but trust in a Stronger Power will. Trust isn't a matter of thinking, it's a matter of believing. We can't believe in fear; we can believe supremely in trust. The Second Step instructs us to stop fighting fear and to simply practice the remaining Steps of the AA program as "enthusiastically" as we can. For me, that is the definition of trust - trust that, in a real way, precedes faith and enables faith in myself through The Power Within me. Of my human nature, fear is going nowhere. Of my divine nature, fear doesn't exist. Trust does.
ReplyDeleteMichael also can't really anything to your comment...Thank you...Armand
ReplyDeleteThank you Armand. I do believe that this life AA has provided me is a path I was meant to be following. For some reason, my own instincts ard to wander around trying to feel important and happy. Both are not possible in and of themselves, but only as a byproduct of listening and doing the will of God. I know that but I always don't live by that rule. From time to time I am reminded by life that I must be obedient to the will of God if I am to have purpose in my life. As time goes by, it is revealed to me just what that purpose is. The road is narrow and contains many twists, turns, periods of darkness and radiant periods of light. All are blessings in the ultimate goal of seeing the face of God and living in his light.
ReplyDeleteJim you are welcome Jim. It is simple to know by our behavior whether we are in the will of God or not. As Bill says "simple but not easy, it meant destruction of self centerdness."...thank you...Armand
ReplyDeleteArmand,
ReplyDeleteWithout God, life was a tepid stumble through a virtual "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, bathed in crystal clarity and a sure knowledge that the God I once rejected and now accepted was in complete control of the world that once baffled me.
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. Serenity now only hinges upon my willingness to accept, by His grace, His divinely inspired seeds of faith that continuously casts out fear as my imperfect apprehension of that faith is refined in practice, throughout the day, in the fire of His perfect guidance and eternal love.
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic a moment without God is an illusory moment...Thank you...Armand
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