Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. 'Tis grace that hath brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.' --John Newton
Today and always, let joy be your compass. When choosing a direction in life, choose the path of your heart. Do what you love, follow your bliss.
Fun is an underestimated emotion in our culture. We are told as children, "If you waste time having fun, you won't get anything serious accomplished." Yet most successful people describe their work as being incredibly joyful. An office that sings with laughter is always more productive. As one executive remarked, "The more I enjoy my work, the more efficient I become."
Joy and laughter improve the quality of our relationships. Couples who lighten up rarely split up. Laughing at a difficult situation fosters detachment and understanding. It is only when we get too serious that trouble arises.
Since love is the highest expression of the Divine, following that path of love and joy will lead you to God-consciousness. What more is there?
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
I hate to sound like an argumentative drunk, but this is the sort of Hazelden stuff that often leaves me scratching my head. Choose the path of my heart? When I was drinking, the path of my heart was to the liquor store. I did what I loved: I drank. My bliss was getting smashed.
It all sounds like putting the cart before the horse, at least for me. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't turn joy and laughter on and off like a light switch. My joy comes from following God's heart and will, not mine, as does forbearance and tenacity during times of sorrow and boredom.
I can't laugh at difficult situations. It seems flippant. What I can do is pray and ask for God's guidance. God-consciousness certainly alters my attitude toward difficult situations: it inculcates perseverance and commitment, but it rarely lightens my mood. After the difficulty has passed, I always feel a sense of accomplishment, and the joy of living grows from that.
I think God-consciousness needs to come first, at least for me. If I practice the 10th and 11th steps every night, and ask for God's help throughout the day, my share of joy is product of that practice, not vice-versa.
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The sway of alcohol over mankind is unquestionably due to its power to stimulate the mystical faculties of human nature, usually crushed to earth by the cold facts and dry criticisms of the sober hour. ---William James
Don't you think you might be 'over-thinking' this a bit ??? ... ... ... Love (joy) is among the 3 greatest things Jesus said of life ... remember, he said that the greatest things were 'Faith, Hope, & Love' ... and the greatest of these was 'Love' ... (of which 'joy' is a part) ... and one thing we've learned is that drinking, for us, brings no joy, only sorrow ...
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
The sway of alcohol over mankind is unquestionably due to its power to stimulate the mystical faculties of human nature, usually crushed to earth by the cold facts and dry criticisms of the sober hour. ---William James
