Get Spiritual
Article Contents
By Michael Janflone
Time to Get Spiritual
God is ultimately the program, and the development and daily nurturing of that relationship WILL keep you clean. I’ve gone through the first 3 steps, which is the first spiritual activity of 4 that someone who completes the 12 steps will go through: SURRENDER. Sharing, amends, and guidance are the other 3. If drugs and alcohol are something you pick up and cannot stop using and cannot control how much you use, then there’s an excellent chance it’s time to wave the white flag, to truly understand and concede surrender, and to get spiritual. My last blog covered Step 3, (turning your will and life over to the care of God as you understood him) and you should be reading chapter 5 and/or already putting pen to paper for step 4 because this is where for so many, the spiritual experience necessary for recovery occurs. Between steps 4-9, it’s really important to talk about God to the people out there who believe there is no God (atheists), those who sit on the fence (agnostics) and those who dislike God (bad religious childhoods, i.e. Catholics). For me, the most important concept to grasp is that there is a difference between the God the Book talks about and the God many of us identify. The 12-steps are a SPIRITUAL program, not a religious one. A spiritual person will tell you something that goes something like: Religious folks believe hell is a place you go to when you die, while spiritual beings have already been through hell on earth and survived with a change in perspective. This is huge for me because I have always felt religion is a few men in power prospering from the general population’s faith. The 30 Years’ Wars had two types of Christians going at it, much like we see today with different Muslim sects fighting, be it the Sudan or Iraq or Afghanistan, The Crusades — the list goes on and on. Certain irony here is I know what Jesus said, myself being raised a non-denominational Christian. He sure as heck never advocated killing anyone. “Love God, Love EVERYONE.”; simple rules laid down for us to follow. Yet some denominations in Christianity condemn homosexuals. Spirituality, not religion. I drill this into any sponsee’s head. I had the privilege of going to Thailand, a country 85% Buddhist. I’m sure we’ve all met people who’d give you the shirts off their backs, but these people have almost nothing and will invite you into their home for dinner and before dessert, made a shirt for you. That’s the beautiful thing, our God is ours, and doesn’t need a name. For anyone who flat out denies God, can’t decide if there is one or not, or can’t escape the vengeful god of childhood, I always suggest a trip to the beach on a clear night. The depth of the stars, the powerful, yet calming waves in a vast ocean, at the very least inspire a person to admit there is something out there way larger than us. To flatly say someone or something is bad or wrong without investigating the person or concept is called prejudice- pre-judge. Like peas for me when I was a little kid, I would not touch them. Not unless my mom decreed a dessert ultimatum, and even then it was a negotiation. I could normally get it down to a spoonful of them and still land a piece of cake. Give the various concepts of a Power greater than yourself that same spoonful, and I guarantee after a month you’ll be more spiritually fit than cake made me. Be grateful for the what you have, and help someone, whether its something as simple as a hello to a homeless person and a bottle of water, or holding the door for somebody, just because it’s the right thing to do. Now get out some pen and paper, because next time it’s step four.