"Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity"
Working this step and applying it to my life has created an inexplainable sense of peace and calm within me. It allows me to believe in a power that i can hand it all over to. Through admitting this power exists, being open to its help and allowing the help into my life I have experienced a lessening of the chaos and insanity within my life and myself.
For me, the transition into my second step was necessary to remain clean. I was homeless, living in a shelter with my 8 month old daughter and 2 year old son. The future was bleak and uncertain. I couldn't afford any places for rent in my area on my income. I couldn't think my way out of the situation. I was consumed by fear of the future, of the unknown, of life, of failure, of trying anything. Using was not an option. Step One has taught me I have a disease I am powerless over and that complete abstinence is necessary to recover.
The only option I had was to jump. Take a blind leap of faith and truely believe a loving and caring power greater than myself could be working in my life. I needed a miracle in my life to believe - nothing less. I thought everything was hopeless.
I made a conscious decision to jump - to believe something would help me. I began to see some evidence in my life and believe that this was my higher power working in my life. Things began to change. A path became clear through attending meetings, working with my sponsor, writing on stepwork, and being aware of my thoughts and actions. I began to build faith and trust in this power that was working in my life.
I have a sense of being cared for in a way that allows me to care for myself. I have more confidence in myself and have experienced significant growth and change. It's all come through my second step - the admission that I need help - I am insane, the acceptance of a power that can help me, the belief that the same power is working in my life to help me get better and the acceptance of that help through action - taking suggestions, prayer, honesty, faith, willingness and open-mindedness.
Today the future is wide open for me. I am grateful to have a home and a job and my children. Recovery comes first. Life is amazing.
-- Edited by sugaree at 22:21, 2007-06-05
Blessed said
Jun 6, 2007
Let's see from a self-centered, Lying, cheating, stealing, know it all, terrible mother, mistress, drug and alcohol using, self seeking, God hating, disappointment to myself, my Son, my family, my community, everyone I hold dear. To a NEW CREATION
I am woman that still struggles with her Flesh everyday like today. I cried, took care of myself to the best of my ability by resting, posting on this message board, reading and praying and loving all of you towards your complete Recovery.
I will be married 12 years that is a miracle, sober 13 years a bigger one. I have disabilities My husband with Cancer he won, Diabetes 2 recently diagnosed. My husband just lost his job and my Son was lost to drugs and alcohol 6 years ago. I cried feeling aweful today. Then Jon and I sat in our yard today and prayed, we Thanked GOd for "ALL OUR BLESSINGS." Praise Jesus! We still have our home for now and each other clean and sober.
Thanks,
Blessed
raman said
Jun 11, 2007
Hi all,,,, lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll i want to start by stating that the second Step in NA is "We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity". For me this is a distinct and important difference !!! For me an addict,, an outcast from society,, full of shame and fear it was a relief to know than that this is a WE Program.... becoming sane and essentially non-angry was simply a matter of turning over ME to get WE..... Me,,, im importanat too,,, without personal recovery theres nothing for me !! However restoration meant i dont have to tackle addiction on my own anymore !!! And in my case my first contact with Higher Power was when i began to pray out of fear of death in my last days of smack,,,, then when i was in a treatment centres isolation room,, I had what one can call a WHITE LIGHT EXPERIENCE !!! Later i understood thru reading of similar sharings9outside the Fellowship) that it was a near death experience !!! that nite as i lay on my bed,, wishing things would resolve and addiction will go away,,,I suddenly began to breathe easy and later i lost conciousness of my body and was in the Prescence of THE GREAT LIGHT !!!! everything was illuminated and there was a short contact after which i '"came back"... I never shared about that experience in the treatment centre due to fear of ridicule and being called 'completely mad',,, but i was delighted when I read that the Founder of AA had had soem such experience !!! So I figured i belonged to the Great Experiencers and was glad that addiction had at least brought me to that conclusion. Now each day after that,,, in the center i experienced a great beauty and Light in my life,,, everyday the Light came back to visit me when i was Silent and by myself !!! then one day in a restless mood when i went back home without official permission of the centre,,i took one calmpose to soothe my nerves,,, opps id forgotten what id learnt in the centre,,,, however next morning was sunday,, and when i went back,, playing cricket and being with other recovering addicts there gave me a new Restoration... I remember the distinct thought i had= "''I never want to use again""" That was in December(21st) 1987,,,,Ive never had to use again,,, nomatter what,, just for today.. Higher power has variously manifested as Power of the Group,,,and then i wnet onto the God of my Understanding !!! I believe i have an adequate enough Power,,, there are ups and downs,,,but mostly i am a serene and secure recovering addict and a productive and responsible member of Society !!! The second Step has basically restored me to complete and continous Sanity,,, after many hospitalisations,substitutions etc,,,i have no need to use drugs again in my life and thank each and every one who informed me !!! I believe this Step will work for any addict who has the desire for Sanity and serenity !!!
sugaree said
Jun 11, 2007
Thanks for the post Raman
I originally wrote my post with "we" in the beginning...then I saw it all over the posts without "we" so i edited it....i knew it wasn't right and looked weird after i changed it. guess i should have checked my basic text.
raman said
Jun 11, 2007
Thanks for your wonderful effort Sugaree !!!!
Tahir said
Jun 21, 2007
Thanks Sugaree, Blessed and Raman for your shares on Step Two. So glad to find NA Step Work here, and I thank John for reminding me to check out this stepwork board for NA Stepwork...
For me, I had a long-term conflict with God, right from my adolescence. The idea of a punishing God, who could be cruel and tyrant if I don't submit and bend to Him did not appeal to me much. Defying such a God seemed a better option then...
So when I started working the steps with my Sponsor, I feared that I had to come face-to-face with Him again, starting from my second step, and was very sceptical about the whole thing... But thanks to my Sponsor, I realized that all I needed to do was to open my mind to the possibility of a Power greater than my addiction that could help me... My Sponsor explained to me that no one decides for me what this Power would be for me, that only I get to choose and decide, and that the only suggestions of this program is that this Power be loving, caring and greater than my addiction... What a relief it was to know that Higher Power does not mean only God, that God is only one such Higher Power if I so choose...
The point was that I come to believe, not so much in what... and that this Power works for me...
I started looking at everything and everyone around me that could help me stay clean to be a Power greater than my disease of addiction. That way, meetings, fellow members, literature, Sponsor, the Steps and their principles, my parents, my counselor, all became my Higher Power. I opened my mind to all these powers and believed that these powers could restore me back to sanity if I allow them...
When, after having worked Step One, I felt an emptiness sometimes as a result of having to admit my powerlessness and unmanageability over many issues in the course of my daily recovery, my need for some Power grew, and I became more willing as a result to continue my stepwork... After finishing the stepwriting part of Step Two, my Sponsor asked me to apply this step along with Step One for a while... Only when I started applying this Step in my daily life in difficult situations, problems, when I was in pain, crises, failures, depression, did I realize the power of living this step. I found hope, and slowly this hope snowballed into faith and then complete trust when I had a working third step too in my daily recovery...
Today, because of having a working second step in my recovery, no matter what happens in my daily life, I'm able to open my mind to a loving, caring and compassionate intention of my Higher Power behind whatever's happening, and am able to trust this loving Higher Power to carry me thru, and to help me learn and grow from these opportunities that my Higher Power sends my way...
And yes, working the steps led me back to my old foe God, eventually, but in a very new perspective when I looked at God thru the eyes of the steps... Today, I know that God's love for me doesn't diminish an inch just because I commit a mistake or wrong... His love for me is unconditional, and He is with me, no matter what... I'm so grateful that this wonderful NA program gently led me back to my loving God... And yes, today I have come to believe in a loving God who expresses His love for me thru everything and everyone, everywhere, at all levels of existence, like this wonderful online forum and all you kindred spirits... I have come to believe in you all... As long as I reach out for help and open my mind to what you all have to share, I would continue to retain my sanity and serenity...
Thank you all for sharing with me,
Hugs, Love & Light ~ Tahir.
msdeannab said
Jun 23, 2007
For me coming to believe meant I had to let God in. I always believed in a God and am even Born again Christian, however it was when I bottomed out after using one day, that I realized that there had to be a reason for me still being alive.
I didn't understand when I came in to the program that I was really being looked after by God. I can now put complete trust in him because today I realize it was him that was looking after me all those years out there using.
Thank God I am still here to share it with you, and that I am clean another day!
Working this step and applying it to my life has created an inexplainable sense of peace and calm within me. It allows me to believe in a power that i can hand it all over to. Through admitting this power exists, being open to its help and allowing the help into my life I have experienced a lessening of the chaos and insanity within my life and myself.
For me, the transition into my second step was necessary to remain clean. I was homeless, living in a shelter with my 8 month old daughter and 2 year old son. The future was bleak and uncertain. I couldn't afford any places for rent in my area on my income. I couldn't think my way out of the situation. I was consumed by fear of the future, of the unknown, of life, of failure, of trying anything. Using was not an option. Step One has taught me I have a disease I am powerless over and that complete abstinence is necessary to recover.
The only option I had was to jump. Take a blind leap of faith and truely believe a loving and caring power greater than myself could be working in my life. I needed a miracle in my life to believe - nothing less. I thought everything was hopeless.
I made a conscious decision to jump - to believe something would help me. I began to see some evidence in my life and believe that this was my higher power working in my life. Things began to change. A path became clear through attending meetings, working with my sponsor, writing on stepwork, and being aware of my thoughts and actions. I began to build faith and trust in this power that was working in my life.
I have a sense of being cared for in a way that allows me to care for myself. I have more confidence in myself and have experienced significant growth and change. It's all come through my second step - the admission that I need help - I am insane, the acceptance of a power that can help me, the belief that the same power is working in my life to help me get better and the acceptance of that help through action - taking suggestions, prayer, honesty, faith, willingness and open-mindedness.
Today the future is wide open for me. I am grateful to have a home and a job and my children. Recovery comes first. Life is amazing.
-- Edited by sugaree at 22:21, 2007-06-05
Hi all,,,, lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
i want to start by stating that the second Step in NA is
"We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity".
For me this is a distinct and important difference !!!
For me an addict,, an outcast from society,, full of shame and fear it was a relief to know than that this is a WE Program....
becoming sane and essentially non-angry was simply a matter of turning over ME to get WE.....
Me,,, im importanat too,,, without personal recovery theres nothing for me !!
However restoration meant i dont have to tackle addiction on my own anymore !!!
And in my case my first contact with Higher Power was when i began to pray out of fear of death in my last days of smack,,,,
then when i was in a treatment centres isolation room,, I had what one can call a WHITE LIGHT EXPERIENCE !!!
Later i understood thru reading of similar sharings9outside the Fellowship) that it was a near death experience !!!
that nite as i lay on my bed,, wishing things would resolve and addiction will go away,,,I suddenly began to breathe easy and later i lost conciousness of my body and was in the Prescence of THE GREAT LIGHT !!!!
everything was illuminated and there was a short contact after which i '"came back"...
I never shared about that experience in the treatment centre due to fear of ridicule and being called 'completely mad',,, but i was delighted when I read that the Founder of AA had had soem such experience !!!
So I figured i belonged to the Great Experiencers and was glad that addiction had at least brought me to that conclusion.
Now each day after that,,, in the center i experienced a great beauty and Light in my life,,,
everyday the Light came back to visit me when i was Silent and by myself !!!
then one day in a restless mood when i went back home without official permission of the centre,,i took one calmpose to soothe my nerves,,, opps id forgotten what id learnt in the centre,,,,
however next morning was sunday,, and when i went back,, playing cricket and being with other recovering addicts there gave me a new Restoration...
I remember the distinct thought i had=
"''I never want to use again"""
That was in December(21st) 1987,,,,Ive never had to use again,,, nomatter what,,
just for today..
Higher power has variously manifested as Power of the Group,,,and then i wnet onto the God of my Understanding !!!
I believe i have an adequate enough Power,,, there are ups and downs,,,but mostly i am a serene and secure recovering addict and a productive and responsible member of Society !!!
The second Step has basically restored me to complete and continous Sanity,,,
after many hospitalisations,substitutions etc,,,i have no need to use drugs again in my life and thank each and every one who informed me !!!
I believe this Step will work for any addict who has the desire for Sanity and serenity !!!
I originally wrote my post with "we" in the beginning...then I saw it all over the posts without "we" so i edited it....i knew it wasn't right and looked weird after i changed it. guess i should have checked my basic text.
Thanks Sugaree, Blessed and Raman for your shares on Step Two. So glad to find NA Step Work here, and I thank John for reminding me to check out this stepwork board for NA Stepwork...
For me, I had a long-term conflict with God, right from my adolescence. The idea of a punishing God, who could be cruel and tyrant if I don't submit and bend to Him did not appeal to me much. Defying such a God seemed a better option then...
So when I started working the steps with my Sponsor, I feared that I had to come face-to-face with Him again, starting from my second step, and was very sceptical about the whole thing... But thanks to my Sponsor, I realized that all I needed to do was to open my mind to the possibility of a Power greater than my addiction that could help me... My Sponsor explained to me that no one decides for me what this Power would be for me, that only I get to choose and decide, and that the only suggestions of this program is that this Power be loving, caring and greater than my addiction... What a relief it was to know that Higher Power does not mean only God, that God is only one such Higher Power if I so choose...
The point was that I come to believe, not so much in what... and that this Power works for me...
I started looking at everything and everyone around me that could help me stay clean to be a Power greater than my disease of addiction. That way, meetings, fellow members, literature, Sponsor, the Steps and their principles, my parents, my counselor, all became my Higher Power. I opened my mind to all these powers and believed that these powers could restore me back to sanity if I allow them...
When, after having worked Step One, I felt an emptiness sometimes as a result of having to admit my powerlessness and unmanageability over many issues in the course of my daily recovery, my need for some Power grew, and I became more willing as a result to continue my stepwork... After finishing the stepwriting part of Step Two, my Sponsor asked me to apply this step along with Step One for a while... Only when I started applying this Step in my daily life in difficult situations, problems, when I was in pain, crises, failures, depression, did I realize the power of living this step. I found hope, and slowly this hope snowballed into faith and then complete trust when I had a working third step too in my daily recovery...
Today, because of having a working second step in my recovery, no matter what happens in my daily life, I'm able to open my mind to a loving, caring and compassionate intention of my Higher Power behind whatever's happening, and am able to trust this loving Higher Power to carry me thru, and to help me learn and grow from these opportunities that my Higher Power sends my way...
And yes, working the steps led me back to my old foe God, eventually, but in a very new perspective when I looked at God thru the eyes of the steps... Today, I know that God's love for me doesn't diminish an inch just because I commit a mistake or wrong... His love for me is unconditional, and He is with me, no matter what... I'm so grateful that this wonderful NA program gently led me back to my loving God... And yes, today I have come to believe in a loving God who expresses His love for me thru everything and everyone, everywhere, at all levels of existence, like this wonderful online forum and all you kindred spirits... I have come to believe in you all... As long as I reach out for help and open my mind to what you all have to share, I would continue to retain my sanity and serenity...
Thank you all for sharing with me,
Hugs, Love & Light ~ Tahir.