My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea . . . “Why don’t you choose your own conception of God?” That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last. It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 12
I remember the times I looked up into the sky and reflected on who started it all, and how. When I came to A.A., an understanding of some description of the spiritual dimension became a necessary adjunct to a stable sobriety. After reading a variety of versions, including the scientific, of a great explosion, I went for simplicity and made the God of my understanding the Great Power that made the explosion possible. With the vastness of the universe under His command, He would, no doubt, be able to guide my thinking and actions if I was prepared to accept His guidance. But I could not expect help if I turned my back on that help and went my own way. I became willing to believe and I have had 26 years of stable and satisfying sobriety.
{ 4 comments }
The God of my understanding was the greatest definition or way to look,understand, feel about the Power Greater Than Myself (PGTM)! I felt free of the creeds and doctrines I had grown up with. They became simply historical documents that didn’t have any substance and didn’t relate to my understanding of God. I am thankful for being “saved” through AA and the PGTM.
I have heard some words that I am wondering about because they sound good but haven’t quite resonated fully with me.
1. Religion is what we do for God and Spirituality is knowing who to thank.
2. Religion is man’s way of binding to God and Spirituality is God Binding with us.
I think for me, I would insert a word in the first part of each of those “definitions.” That word is TRY &TRYING!
In the First: What we try to do for God and ….
The Second: way of trying to bind to God and ….
Methinks that I am thinking too much. Me leave it to God. But I would welcome hearing of observations, thoughts or experiences.
The first time I went to church-I got kick out for fighting :~). I needed my own concept to get me started-and it worked 4 meny years untell I saw where they were right and I was wrong-I go to aa and church now and love them like I would love 2 kids-the same but in different ways-u crawl,walk and then run into the arms of my loving creator that allways has me-allways. God bless. Jamey
Hey Bob,
At this point in my sobriety, all I need to know about my HP is the following:
1. There is one.
2. I am not he/she/it
3. More will be revealed.
This is something I can really relate to. When I was introduced to AA and heard that I had to believe in god I imediatly lost interest. Thankfully there were other people that had the same experience and there are no forced ideas from some book that some people made up hundreds of years ago. I am a believer in evidence based truths not what someone tells me is true. Today I have seen evidence that there is something godly, but I would never want to think I understand what that is. I am twenty five years old and blessed with four years of sobriety.