It was interesting to sit in the meeting today and listen to others on just how they came to believe in a power greater than themselves.
One individual said that, when he was going through the Steps, he actually started to lose a grip on his faith in a higher power. He had come to think that in those middle Steps that he was at the heart of the program, but he forgot the first three Steps. He said he never forgot that and realized that these were the Steps he had to practice on a daily basis.
One woman said something, which seemed to have a profound effect on a number of people. She said that life was life and that AA and these first three Steps were a lifeline in the world outside of the rooms. Another young woman said that she was an atheist before she came to the program and had to learn faith and a belief in the rooms before she could get sober.
A lot of the people in the room today discussed just how the process was for them to come to faith in a higher power and a God of their understanding. In truth it was a big help to listen to so many, willing to talk about their beginning to learn just what the solution was for each of them and their search for sanity.
Sanity, or the lack of it, seemed to be what they discovered was a necessity, if they were to get sober. And many talked about the hope they found, particularly through the Second Step.
I had no problem in identifying with most of what was being said today. A little of everything they all said fit right into what was my history in coming to believe and finding a faith that works. I was also reminded of the necessity of having to keep this in mind on a daily basis. Like the daily reprieve, the fact of faith and reliance on a power greater than myself, is what makes this program work for me. I know from my own experience that being lackadaisical can cause me to lose what I have found in this program. I need to practice these Second and Third Steps everyday, if I want to stay sober.
Talk about getting what I needed, this was definitely it. I had to sit and think about this, when I got home.