We are going to know a new freedom. . . . ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS , p. 83
Freedom for me is both freedom from and freedom to. The first freedom I enjoy is freedom from the slavery of alcohol. What a relief! Then I begin to experience freedom from fear - fear of people, of economic insecurity, of commitment, of failure, of rejection. Then I begin to enjoy freedom to - freedom to choose sobriety for today, freedom to be myself, freedom to express my opinion, to experience peace of mind, to love and be loved, and freedom to grow spiritually. But how can I achieve these freedoms? The Big Book clearly says that before I am halfway through making amends, I will begin to know a "new" freedom; not the old freedom of doing what I pleased, without regard to others, but the new freedom that allows fulfillment of the promises in my life. What a joy to be free!
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* We eventually realize that just as the pains of alcoholism had to come before sobriety, emotional turmoil comes before serenity. *
".. .a Power greater than ourselves...." "God as we understood Him." These words introduce spirituality in the Twelve Steps. They are the first two references to God, and they are worded that way for a reason.
We each have the freedom to define, and understand, our Higher Power - God - as we choose.
That means we do not bring our religious affiliation into our recovery groups. It means that we do not try to impose our religious beliefs, or our understanding of God, on anyone else. We do not use our groups or meetings as a soapbox to gain religious converts. We do not try to force the particulars of our religious beliefs on others.
We give each person, the right to a personal understanding of a Higher Power and ourselves.
Today, I will respect other people's understanding of God, as well as my own. I will not allow others' judgment of my beliefs to cause me anxiety and. distress. I will seek to grow spiritually in recovery, with or without the assistance of a particular religion or denomination.
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Easy Does it..Keep It Simple..Let Go and Let God..
Even my own understanding of God keeps changing throughout my life. The understanding I had as a child changed, and the understanding I had as a young adult changed, and again, and now it is still evolving. The understanding I have now is also only my present understanding, and I expect it to continue to evolve. The day I stop learning about things is the day I die. If my own understanding of God has gone through so many changes, how can I expect anyone else to have 'the perfect' understanding of God?
love in recovery,
amanda
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do your best and God does the rest, a step at a time
gr8 point!! i can translate this to deliverence FROM....deliverence TO....like for me as an example....i prayed this am, to my hp, to give me deliverence FROM hate/resentment for my abuser and deliverence TO love for me/ acceptance what i cannot change, etc.......
someone told me that when U "empty your apartment" u must fill it with something!!!! my hp, by letting me see this post, is telling me "yeah, it is TIME to get freedom FROM all the pain/hate/resentment which gives me freedom TO love me/ take care of me/ get ON with my life, give me good TODAY's so my tomorows will be brighter.....i also told my hp, i am READY to not give him/abuse ANY more of my time......i want that for ME and what is GOOD.........hope this made sense.....hugs/ rosie
