Faith In A Power Greater Than Ourselves

Alcohol
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I remember my Sponsor saying something about God made man in His likeness and wondering what the heck THAT was all about? I want to get sober--I TRIED God in many flavors before and had to fire every one--and several other denominations of His schools (built and guarded by men). What'd he have to go and bring THAT up? He said, "Think a little bit about that concept, and what you consider to be your "good" features, and what a God of your understanding (MY higher power) would BE in those same lines if He were perfect."

My Sponsor had me make a list. Me and my good stuff. HP and His/Her/Its stuff. If I aspired to live up to MY expectations of MY Higher Power, how could I deny the patience and serenity that had come over me since my sobriety?

MY HP and I have a private relationship, but maybe you see evidence of it in the simple fact that I'm sober today--longer than at any time in my
life past 13 years of age. Faith is very personal to me. I WILL say that MY Higher Power is a God of love, patience, and understanding. Unconditional Love--and if you think about everything that espouse to know about a God and a Gift and a Love unlike any other, doesn't it make a little sense?

That a God of love would want me to live life in a simply grateful manner, caring about others, treating people with respect and dignity that I
would request? That might want me enjoying the birds that tweet and the breezes that blow lightly against my skin and that might wait as long as it
took with patience and love until I was prepared to love myself enough to accept that love? The guilt and shame and fear I had entombed myself with
under the auspices of safety was my own feeble belief that *I* was in charge of my life. Inspite of all my best self-seeking, selfishness, fear and
deceptive actions, I need only accept what has been around me my entire life. MY HP certainly would not keep me alive through all of this stupidity
on my part if only to get me sober and then punish me! MY HP has allowed me to find my way to a life of simple honesty, of caring for others, of being
grateful and thankful, and of the TRUEST fact of a life ANY Higher Power of Love might with for their own children: Love. Unconditional. Pure.
Powerful. Cleansing. LOVE.

Quite simply, really, I need only accept it. Unconditional love is patient and endless in MY Higher Power. *I* am the one that pushed it away--until I found AA and managed to let my grip of futile desperation loosen on what I had previously determined was a 'good' life. If I could give each person I meet the sense of serenity and peace that I now know--and will defend at all costs--I'd gladly give it. Because it's endless.

I want to thank a very dear friend who took the time to ask me about MY HP; who took the time because they are struggling. Acceptance. I don't expect anyone to have the same relationship with MY HP that I do--but you're welcomed to borrow Him/Her/It until you've found yours. Thanks, E. Thanks for letting me let MY HP breathe.
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Beautiful and insightful. Thank you so much for shaing this. I needed to hear it.

Hugs.
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That's really lovely and very powerful, Skq. I can relate to a lot of what you write, almost word for word. My sense is we arrived at a very similar place by different routes...but it's only what I'm inferring from what you've written before so forgive me if I'm wrong.......did it take alcoholism to bring us both to that place, I wonder? I know that it has taken this terrible experience to break my Will.....a Will that I developed to help me survive as a very young child because of a terrible threat (not of active abuse, but of a confusion that created a profound threat to my sanity).....

You say you would love to pass it on....and clearly, for some people AA is a route to that place your describe so beautifully......I have seen enough myself to believe that......

.......I too want to pass it on, and my route has been a different one......isn't He, whoever He/She/It/They are, amazing? There are many paths to enlightenment.....I wonder why we chose such tortuous ones? lol

A beautiful and inspiring post, thank you.

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Skg what a beautiful and inspiring post! You said if you could give each person the serenity and peace you know ,you would gladly give it. I believe you are doing that. Do you realize that people ARE finding their way because of what you offer on this board. You had said once that Hope is seeing what other people have and realizing that one can have it by following an example. I want the serenity and the peace and I feel that I am not as far from it as I was at first, when I came to this board..I appreciate what you have done for me because you have made me think and because of you I have faced some unpleasant truths about myself. So yes skg you are giving it away.Today I am going to attend church and I know that my God will welcome me back.You take care and have a great day.
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Skg what a beautiful post! I read it a couple of times. The end paragraph where you offer to let someone borrow your HP was really really sweet.

BTW...ON THE LOVING THREAD....BATTERIES...AND SKITTLES????LOLOL

ROTFLMAO....LOLOLOLOL....I laughed forever after I saw that and I wasn't even sure what you were talking about. Thanks for the crack up. I had a rough night last night and nothing is better than a good hearty laugh!!

Have a great day pal!
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Why Valarie? What ever were YOU thinking?
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Honestly my mind went all in all different sorts of twisted directions! LOLOL....

Thanks so much for the laugh pal!

I hope you are having a great day! :-)

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Gidday Skg

Thanks again mate for the post, i love to read others gratitude and E.S.H as it tops my gratitude up as well and the more i give to others in what ever positive ways, the more goodness that comes back to me and it can be as simple as a smile:).......and on the skittles thing i didnt understand but my mind instantly brought some pictures to mind probably along the same lines as Val LMAO

light and love zac
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Even though I was pressed to the point of death, it was my hope in him that my life would and could change if he were sought. He knew that out of desperation and a thread of faith in him that I still clung to that I was capable of believing in his perfect love.