Post by ron on Sept 20, 2015 7:09:22 GMT -5
There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half the creeds. (Alfred, Lord Tennyson)
I don't think anyone needs to be overly concerned if, at the outset, they have problems with belief in a Higher Power, or doubts concerning what that HP may or may not be able and/or willing to do for us personally. Just going through the Steps with rigorous self-honesty should be enough to bring you to some kind of understanding, bring enough faith, to get the promised result.
By now you've probably noticed that the Steps are numbered consecutively from 1 to 12. Because of this, and the fact that they're called steps in the first place, it's natural to assume that they were meant to be taken in the order given. This may well be what the Founders did, and meant, but my reality was that after I had gotten a half-assed handle on Step 1, this next step (along with Step 3) presented a major hurdle for my unbelieving mind. I spent years trying to find some way to interpret, reword or just plain ignore them. In the end, and after several detoxes that required hospitalization, a few seizures, and one honest-to-God near-death experience, I decided I didn't have the time to fritter away on a couple of steps. I shelved Steps 2 and 3 and jumped into Step 4. Essentially I worked Steps 4 through 11 before I really grasped Steps 2 and 3.
My point is that although the Steps are numbered the way they are, it is not absolutely necessary that they be worked in that order. I suppose that since there is a fairly rational sequence to them, it may be wise, and easier, to work them as laid out if you can. I could not. So a lot of what I share about Step 2, and later Step 3, will be from an understanding that came after I had dealt with the other steps.
Step Two: Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Step 1 brought me to an understanding that my life was unmanageable and that left to my own devices I was powerless to do anything about it. So the next question was: Where's the hope? Step 2 suggests that I look for a power greater than myself. Ok, let's look at it.
Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves... The founders (at least not all of them) did not start with belief, or firm conviction; they came to a belief. This is reinforced in Step 12 where it says, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps...” Their spirituality, their belief or faith, came after the steps were taken. I might have saved myself a little time if I had understood that all that was really being asked of me in Step 2 is that I be open-minded enough to allow for the possibility that there is a power greater than myself that can deliver the goods. And when I ask myself the question, “Is there a power greater than me?” it seems pretty ludicrous to answer “No” regardless of whether or not I have any kind of clear idea what the heck it might be.
...could restore us... Here again, I'm only asked to be open-minded enough to allow for the possibility that this HP, or God if you prefer, will have the power to help me and be willing to do so; an actual belief in such a thing can wait until later. I needed to open my mind to the two ideas that there was a power greater than myself and that this power could restore me. Step 2 doesn't promise that I will be restored, it just asks me to be open to the possibility. Therefore, the operating principle behind the second step for me is open-mindedness.
...to sanity. Insane?....You callin' me insane?....You wanna piece of me? Bring it on!” That was pretty much my attitude for a long time. But really, it was pretty insane to continue trying to find ways that I could drink when I knew the inevitable, predictable result would be more chaos and unmanageably than before. The analogy of the jaywalker on pages 37-38 of the book, Alcoholics Anonymous (the Big Book or BB), makes it pretty clear. I t really is insane behavior---going back to the bottle again and again, each time thinking I'd be able to control it and knowing each time I'd end up worse than before.
It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning. (Bill W.) Emphasis original
...I do believe; help me in my unbelief. (Mark 9:24 (NASB))
The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. (Marcel Proust)
Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you. (Carl Gustav Jung) [Jung was pretty cool...for a shrink.]
...I do believe; help me in my unbelief. (Mark 9:24 (NASB))
The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. (Marcel Proust)
Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you. (Carl Gustav Jung) [Jung was pretty cool...for a shrink.]
Please add your own experience and thoughts about Step 2 to the thread. Thanks for being here!