God

God as  I understand him.

Tired of hearing the word god in meetings? Freaked out a little bit because you need to get sober, but it appears that the 12 step meetings you are going to is a religious experience?

It’s going to be okay. As said, relax the hoop you have to jump through is a lot bigger than anyone may realize.

According to Google, God is defined as, “a superhuman being or spirit worshiped as having power over nature or human fortunes; a deity, or the creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the supreme being.” – Source: Google Query

While all of that is fine and dandy, how does that affect things inside of a meeting? If I were not a religious person, and I needed these meetings to change my life, how does all of this come into play?

In my experience, the word god was attached to negative experiences I had with that. Some with a certain denominational church, some with others “acting in the name” of god. I had to change the meaning of God, so Good Old Drunks and than later Good Orderly Direction. God, in the sense associated with 12 step groups is a word used to sum up your experience with a power greater than yourself.  That is how I associate it. The word God for me is now attached to all things worthwhile that have contributed to my experience in recovery. The sharing circle, used in meetings, is a power greater than myself, and that works just fine for a higher power.

Simply put, the beauty of 12 step groups is it is, <b>God as you understand it</b>. If your God is a Turnip then it is a Turnip. If it is Nature, then it is beautiful. If it is a religious deity that feels right for you, than embrace it. The best way I had it explained to me is, that I could choose my own higher power, and that I could make that higher power anything I wanted. William James describes in a variety of religious experience, that each person’s spiritual experience is unique unto their own. So, embrace God as you understand it. Go with what feels right for you, don’t let anyone tell you that you must believe a certain way. What works for someone else spiritually, might not work for you, and vice versa. Everyone experiences spirituality differently.

The keys are this. What matters is to be willing to believe in something bigger than you, stay open minded to new ideas, and focus on honesty by staying true to yourself.

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