Real growth comes down to where we are in our spiritual program. If our spiritual program is right, our other parts will also be right. Emotional stability is but a welcome corollary to good spiritual health.  It is a wise person that understands what spirituality is all about. Spirituality is not something that comes and goes like our feelings.

 

Often, we believe our feelings represent our spirituality. This is an incorrect belief. Spirituality, as defined by theologians, refers to the immaterial or non-material part of man's nature. We cannot touch this part of ourselves…it is not something that can be felt. This rules out feelings as being of spiritual nature.

 

Spirituality applies to the internal condition of a person when they reach a state of belief that enables them to recognize and properly appreciate spiritual realities. We reach that state through the process of a change towards truth in our belief system.

 

One theological item of understanding that will help us is to recognize that we are creatures designed by God to live in both a human and spiritual way. This means that a communication link with God is possible. God is a Spirit and wants us to receive His spirit…His Truth. If being spiritual means to have communion with God, we can make the following deduction. If we are using the group as our source of truth, we will only grow to the level of the group…regardless of how many years we have been sober. No direct spiritual connection with God is present in this situation.

 

To grow spiritually entails communing with God. Therefore, it is imperative to link with Him directly. While characteristics of goodness are present in people involved in the program, real Godliness has to come through a personal relationship that the recovering alcoholic must establish for himself with God. 

 

There is tremendous strength found in Alcoholics Anonymous (where we derive great emotional support from the body of like-minded alcoholics struggling together with a common problem). The beliefs found in the group are a consolidated source of wisdom that helps many. Its primary purpose is to help us stay sober.

 

By itself, however, the group is not enough.  The growth, which comes from working the principles and from going to meetings, is not always enough to carry us through the hard situations of life.  Until we have plugged into the true source of power, God Himself, we cannot draw enough power from secondary sources to live life truly victoriously. 

 

Inventing a self-made God for our only source of power in time of need can delay us in finding lasting serenity. We can form habits to prevent us from drinking. We might even acquire a great deal of knowledge on the program and perfect the art of staying sober ‘one day at a time’.

 

Without God, however, we will remain spiritually dead…empty. Given the right conditions or circumstances we would still take that drink of alcohol if we thought it wouldn't reduce us to the original state of suffering that brought us to Alcoholics Anonymous. This desire is in our belief system and only God can contain it with His word and spirit…His fullness.

 

 

Do I really understand spirituality?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then what are my feelings all about?

 

 

 

My beliefs are always truthful! True/False

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How do I connect spiritually to God?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You mean it's up to me?

 

 

 

 

It does a great job, if I participate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I really need God then?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you mean Mighty Mouse is not a good higher power?

 

 

 

 

 

The next step is here.

Excerpt from Eternal Sobriety

How important is spirituality to meaningful recovery?

 

Like any man-made organization, our program consists of people at many different levels of growth and belief. Our spiritual growth needs to go beyond the group.

 

Our human makeup simply limits our ability to materially see the direct presence of God as a supernatural power. God, however, has made a way for us to perceive Him. That way is with human spirituality.

 

In order to achieve this contact, our belief system requires freedom from anything that prevents our ability to link to God. This requires a conditioning process of a type that is supernatural yet within our ability, as human beings, to acquire.