The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Todays reading is a focus on a concept that can be difficult for many of us: God as we understood Him. For some people, having a part of the program that feels even vaguely religious is troublesome; for some, grasping the spiritual connection in the program is difficult, and in the case of todays writer, seeing God in a different light than in the way he/she was taught in childhood took some time. The writer describes having been raised with parents who used religion as a way to keep themselves and others in line. Their church was the only true church, in their view, and God was thought of as a severe judge always waiting to punish sinners. What the writer discovered in alanon was acceptance of others, even with differing opinions and beliefs. The writer began to feel that the God he/she was taught about as a child was too narrow. The writer found a new HP and began to feel the higher power live in him/her and in others too.
This reading had me considering the phrase God as we understood Him. Theres a certain difficulty in those words, since God is beyond our understanding. This is another area where for me, there is a balance of letting go of the attempt to control (trusting God) and also finding our own understanding of God (in that sense, having control). Like anyone who has considered the presence of a HP or God, I grapple with how terrible events happen under His watch, or even how people treat one another with ugliness and how that could possibly be explained? I dont understand those things, but similarly i am unable to explain the intense beauty in our world or the selflessness of some people toward others. The quotation from As We Understood(p.71) summarizes this idea beautifully: In Al-Anon, we can come to understand the nature of a Power greater than ourselves in a personal, profound way and many of us have been amazed at the difference this understanding makes in our lives.
Thanks for your share Mary, and both for your ESH.
This has become one of my favorite topics, but was one of the most difficult when I first found Alanon. I quickly saw value in all of the concepts and principles, but had an extremely negative concept of god an any who claimed to be connected.
I wanted serenity whatever the cost, however, and since a hp concept was so intrinsic to the recipe, I was willing to try.
For me, I decided to take the 'as we understood him' as in invitation to reimagine an hp that had all of the components described and necessary for recovery as described by ALanon, but without those that I found untenable. For me, this became just another part of what the program offered me: an opportunity to find a way to make it work, rather than a way to not.
If I am not completely committed to make something work, I will find a reason (excuse) to reason it away. I am so grateful that I kept coming back long enough to soften my views and discover a way through my limiting beliefs, as you and so many others have also.
Grateful for the wisdom and acceptance of the program
__________________
Paul
"...when we try to control others, we lose the ability to manage our own lives." - Paths to Recovery
