...we have found a loving, personal God to whom we can turn.
Basic Text, p. 27
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Some of us come into recovery with the impression that lifes hardships are a series of cosmic tests designed to teach us something. This belief is readily apparent when something traumatic happens and we wail, My Higher Power is testing me! Were convinced that its a test of our recovery when someone offers us drugs, or a test of our character when faced with a situation where we could do something unprincipled without getting caught. We may even think its a test of our faith when were in great pain over a tragedy in our lives.
But a loving Higher Power doesnt test our recovery, our character, or our faith. Life just happens, and sometimes it hurts. Many of us have lost love through no fault of our own. Some of us have lost all of our material wealth. A few of us have even grieved the loss of our own children. Life can be terribly painful at times, but the pain is not inflicted on us by our Higher Power. Rather, that Power is constantly by our sides, ready to carry us if we cant walk by ourselves. There is no harm that life can do us that the God of our understanding cant heal.
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Just for today: I will have faith that my Higher Powers will for me is good, and that I am loved. I will seek my Higher Powers help in times of need.
This is such a powerful message. The greatest gift the program has given me is the teaching that God is loving and caring. - period - I often hear people in the rooms talk about being "tested" by their higher power. This is them bringing their religious training into the rooms. There is nothing anywhere in the NA literature that I am aware of that speaks to any Higher Power testing us. The program is absolutely clear about this. Your Higher power can be anything you want it to be. It need only be loving, caring and greater than yourself. What joy was brought to my life when I incorporated this simple message into my life. "may you find Him soon"
I'm right there with you guys on this one, great lesson today in this meditation.
I was reading our literature the other day and ran across a line that said , If we choose Gods will for us it will be what we can handle. At the time I was so into self will and couldn't handle what was going on in my life, once I turned it back over I KNEW everything was going to be ok. That was my lesson that day, knowing and feeling my higher power there with me, beside me walking through this painful life.
Lifes a revolving situation, OPPORTUNITYS will arise constantly and we have to make decisions on how we're going to act, certain thoughts will come up, positive and negative, right and wrong but it all starts with a thought. I have to opten ask for guidances before acting and then that becomes automatice after awhile, we become dependent on that guidance which is actually a good thing for me personally
-- Edited by BigV on Monday 7th of February 2011 10:25:47 AM
Through constant contact with our Higher Power,the answers we seek come to us!We gain the ability to do what we once couldn't.We respect the beliefs of others.We are encouraged to seek strength and guidance according to OUR own beliefs.........The steps were struggling until..."God as you understand Him was put in"(the closest to an original mentor of Bill Wilson I believe way back in Oxford group,somebody shoemaker supposedly asked to write the steps,declined??).. anyway all starts in our process with Step 2 "we came to believe in a Power greater than ourselves" sky's the limit from there huh! The blessing of whatever you believe, you turn your will and lives over to the "care" of and move forward...
-- Edited by MIKEF on Monday 7th of February 2011 11:02:07 AM
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Our purpose is to remain clean,just for today,and to carry the message of recovery.
Yup, doo-doo occurs (shit happens). Clean or loaded life happens. Having a loving God of my understanding instead of the vengeful god of my youth is a huge difference.
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Work the Steps or Die MF. (My Friend :) Clean One Day At a Time by The Grace of God through The Power of NA
