"Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity"
By the time I got sober I had lost just about all the faith I had in the God of my understanding (who is God, btw). I prayed along with the folks in the rooms of the AA meetings anyway. I noticed something pretty weird happening to me after I had been going to the meetings for a little while. I actually felt more at peace....calmer...not as anxious and fearful, not as worried as I had been. I couldn't understand it and really didn't spend too much time trying to figure it out because I was pretty skeptical of all that "religious" stuff in AA. I also realized that I had let myself down, others (I thought) had let me down and I didn't really know anyone at that time I was going to put a feather weight of faith in. So....I gave this Higher Power thing a try because I had lost everything just about, I didn't have too much else to lose...why not?
Well, I can say it was a good decision for me to make. I know I didn't get sober on my own. I had tried that too many times. It worked for me.
In our part of the woods, we closed with the Lord's Prayer followed by the Serenity Prayer. As I recited these prayers everyday at meetings, I also felt that peace and calmness you speak about. These were personal experiences and there was no denial left in me anymore, as I felt this power greater than myself. Today I know it's God.
I have been working on my spirituality for the last month... trying to find it again. I attended a new, very accepting church today. My church of the last 2 years was dragging me down and making me resent and lose faith.
I know the idea and practice about churches as I use to do them often until the time came in program that I found myself feeling empty after services and just did the
relationship without the masses. I'm more spiritually intact today and have been for about the last 10 - 12 years. HP likes getting me alone without interference. (((hugs)))
