"The process of coming to believe restores us to sanity. The strength to move into action comes from this belief."
Basic Text, p. 25
Coming to believe is a process that stems from personal experience. Each of us has this experience; all addicts who find recovery in NA have solid evidence of a benevolent Power acting for good in their lives. Those of us who are recovering today, after all, are the fortunate ones. Many, many addicts die from our disease, never to experience what we have found in Narcotics Anonymous.
The process of coming to believe involves a willingness to recognize miracles for what they are. We share the miracle of being here clean, and each of us has other miracles that await only our acknowledgment. How many car accidents or overdoses or other near-catastrophes have we survived? Can we look back at our lives and see that we were not just "lucky"? Our experience in recovery, too, gives us examples of a Higher Power working for our good.
When we can look back at the evidence of a loving Higher Power acting on our behalf, it becomes possible to trust that this Higher Power will continue to help us in the future. And trust offers us the strength to move forward.
Just for Today: My recovery is more than coincidence. My strength comes from the knowledge that my Higher Power has never let me down and will continue to guide me.
Having a belief in the caring, loving nature of my higher power has been the real gift of recovery for me. Prayer, and the knowledge that the greatest force in the universe is benevolent and cares about me is awesome in it's power. I tap into this river of strength often. I know that I am centered and fit when I feel His presence.
Morning! yes I used to rely on what I believed was luck,coincidence,fate wheels of fortune etc.(could be that secondary gambling disease!!)but today My HP directs all happenings in my life,never much on coincidence ,it certainly isn't luck Im alive today and I believe I am in the hands of my Higher Power of whom I choose to call God! God does want me to be all He intended for me to be ,like some readings tell me,He will leave the details up to me!! Yes the more I am in the presence of His will for me ,the less I fear life and can focus on God given joy...Though I have walked thru the valley of death.
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Our purpose is to remain clean,just for today,and to carry the message of recovery.
:/ ive never nessessarily belived in coincedence...i still belive in luck... and chance.
Coming to NA an agnostic it was at first hard to accept the whole god thing...i have since made much progress with my spirit.
Today i choose to call my higher power my higher self, my higher self is 26 dimensions away and music helps me travel those dimensions to him. He points me in the direction of the next right thing and towards helping others.
but to say that my higher power controls things, physically, would imply a diety of some sort, and that has never been my understanding. not to many people have agreed with me on this but i have yet to find a principle that im going against. also i dont feel bad when i talk about this, i feel good. therefore i feel in the will of god.
besides, the only suggested guidelines on pg 24 are "that this Power be loving, caring and greater than ourselves."
also, for those of you who have the "it works how and why" book. read pg 23.
"We sometimes encounter remarkable coincedences in our lives that have no rational explanation. We don't need to explain or analyze these occurances. We can simply accept that they happen and be grateful for them."
that explains exactly how i feel about my life. after reading that first sentence i thought it was going to say somethign like "this was evidence of our higher power working in our lives." instead, it stated a simple principle, leaving room for me come to an understanding and interpretation of what coincidences mean.
Hey Chap 7 No worries here about your understanding of your higher power. It's not something anyone who regularly posts here will challenge you on. You wrote "He points me in the direction of the next right thing and towards helping others." Now that's a powerful spiritual message. welcome and keep coming back!
Hey Chapter7,it tells us we are a spiritual ,not religious program and all are welcome regardless of religion or lack of religion.Welcome here my friend,no big I's or little U's here,we are one reaching out to help another in turn helping ourselves! Glad your here man!!!
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Our purpose is to remain clean,just for today,and to carry the message of recovery.
