During this morning's Twelve-Step Program meeting, the speaker talked about how relieved he was when he read Step Two: "We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." He knew that he couldn't change himself because, even though he had stopped drinking for several years, he was still an angry and dissatisfied human being. He was no longer drinking, but he wasn't "sober." Step Two told him that there was a Higher Power that would help him -- all he had to do was to turn his will and life over to that Power. He did, and the positive result was obvious to us all.
When the speaker finished, he chose the topic of "Finding Your Higher Power" for the sharing part of the meeting. Several people shared their stories, including their individual perceptions of God "as they understood Him." Although I didn't have the opportunity to share at the meeting, I felt compelled to share it here.
When I was growing up, I learned about a God who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent: all-powerful, all-knowing and everywhere. I still believe this, but I found it hard to develop a close and personal relationship with that kind of God. Then, two things I read changed everything.
The first thing was a book: The Shack, by William P Young. In this story the main character encounters a God that he can get "up close and personal" with. In fact, the God of this story is three persons, each one different from the other, but all somehow linked together. That's all I'm going to tell, because I don't want to spoil the story if you haven't read the book. I highly recommend it.
The second thing was a piece of Program-approved literature that spoke about "the near side of God." The author wrote about grappling with the concept of God, and concluded that God was essentially unknowable, but that He allowed us to approach him by showing us his "near side." That is the part of God that we can feel, that is close to us everywhere and all the time.
I still pray to and worship the God that is all-powerful, all-knowing and everywhere. But I have a close and personal relationship with the near side of God every day. He is always at my side. He laughs at me -- and sometimes with me -- when I think that I'm in control of things. He rolls his eyes when I say or do something totally foolish -- which I do more often than I care to admit. He helps me to turn away from temptation, but then He forgives me when I'm weak and sets me back on the right path. And He gives me a pat on the back when I do or say "the next right thing."
If you're reading this and willing to share your concept of God in the comments section, please do!
When the speaker finished, he chose the topic of "Finding Your Higher Power" for the sharing part of the meeting. Several people shared their stories, including their individual perceptions of God "as they understood Him." Although I didn't have the opportunity to share at the meeting, I felt compelled to share it here.
When I was growing up, I learned about a God who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent: all-powerful, all-knowing and everywhere. I still believe this, but I found it hard to develop a close and personal relationship with that kind of God. Then, two things I read changed everything.
The first thing was a book: The Shack, by William P Young. In this story the main character encounters a God that he can get "up close and personal" with. In fact, the God of this story is three persons, each one different from the other, but all somehow linked together. That's all I'm going to tell, because I don't want to spoil the story if you haven't read the book. I highly recommend it.
The second thing was a piece of Program-approved literature that spoke about "the near side of God." The author wrote about grappling with the concept of God, and concluded that God was essentially unknowable, but that He allowed us to approach him by showing us his "near side." That is the part of God that we can feel, that is close to us everywhere and all the time.
I still pray to and worship the God that is all-powerful, all-knowing and everywhere. But I have a close and personal relationship with the near side of God every day. He is always at my side. He laughs at me -- and sometimes with me -- when I think that I'm in control of things. He rolls his eyes when I say or do something totally foolish -- which I do more often than I care to admit. He helps me to turn away from temptation, but then He forgives me when I'm weak and sets me back on the right path. And He gives me a pat on the back when I do or say "the next right thing."
If you're reading this and willing to share your concept of God in the comments section, please do!
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