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Miracles In Progress 12 Step Recovery Forums -> Step Work -> Step Work -> ACoA Step 2
Post Info TOPIC: ACoA Step 2
JamesCT


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ACoA Step 2
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2: Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

The Higher Power. This is one of the great stumbling blocks for any of the 12 Step programs. But it doesn't have to be a wall. Here first is what the Yellow Workbook has to say on the subject, and then afterward is a private message I once sent to an atheist struggling with this concept.

A note to the atheist or agnositc:

The ACA progam is for you. If you do not believe in God or a Higher Power, select something to be a power greater than yourself so that you can work the ACA program and receive healing results. Example: your ACA group or therapy group is a power greater than you since it meets regularly, discusses ACA issues and produces progress for its participants. Meanwhile, we ask that you keep an open mind about the spiritual nature of ACA and enjoy the fellowship's acceptance.

ACoA Yellow Workbook

 

 

While I am a man of faith, I can certainly understand why a person would have a problem with the concept of a directive consciousness over the universe. So much of the world is irrational and inexplicable. And bad things happen to good people with great regularity. So rejecting a beneficent diety, a "Santa Claus God" as you put it, makes a certain amount of sense.

However there is something that brought you to me today, that moved you to choose me to tell about your difficulty, that moved me over the course of the last few days to be thinking about this even though it is not my problem. And that was Not You.

You may want to give it the name Random Chance or Dumb Luck. You might want to be more positive and say it's the Natural Order of Things. But the key thing to remember is that it's Not You.

The ultimate purpose of Step 2 in my mind is a pairing with Step 1. Step 1 talks about how we as individuals cannot do it entirely ourselves. This is an evident fact. If we could have done it entirely ourselves, we would have already freed ourselves from our ACoA chaos.

Step 2 is telling us that we need help from Not Us, that we cannot do it alone and that it is okay to allow Not Us to help us. Step 2 does not absolve us from responsibility in us doing the work. It simply acknowledges we will need more help than we ourselves as individuals can provide.

Something makes the Earth spin on its axis and makes the Earth orbit the sun. Call it God or call it Newtonian Physics. But it is Not Us. And what the program is asking you to do is to believe that something that is Not You may and will help you.

 

 If you're struggling here, I hope that either what the Yellow Workbook said or what I said may be of assistance to you.



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ESH (Experience, Strength, and Hope) for ACoA may be shared at http://acoa.activeboard.com .
poppy18


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Posts: 10
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Step 2 is the easiest step of all for me. I have always had a great deal of faith.But something happened to me about 30 years ago, and again about 4 years ago, and again only a month ago (this third time didn't feel like the first two, it was just that everything "clicked" - hard to explain).

I had two very real spiritual experiences which involved Jesus - and it wasn't until a month ago that I knew it was Jesus. I know I sound like I'm off my rocker, but I know what I know. And it happened.

I don't know why it happened to me, but I know I'm grateful that it did. And grateful isn't even a good word to describe how I feel about what happened. I just know that I will always believe in God and Jesus. And I've felt the tip of the iceburg of the goodness and purity of their love. It's indescribable. Picture something that is scrubbed clean, and full of everything good. And that is what my heart felt like when this happened.

Sometimes I think I had this experience because I always wanted Jesus to love me but never felt worthy of His love. I have read that we acoas tend to think of ourselves as a worthless piece of s*%t. That is so true for me! So, I have always had a hard time believing someone could love me - especially God.

What ever the reason it happened, I am grateful and humbled by it. And I believe that God can do anything, including restoring me to sanity. :)

Poppy



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DavidG


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Posts: 168
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smile Hi James, and Poppy,

I think the last time through I talked about Tony A's take on "a return to sanity'.

This time... hmmm I am a believing Christian. When it comes to healing stuff I draw a lot on what I have learned from the 12 steps. Some healing is slow, but it does happen.

Right this moment I am listening to a you-tube presentation on Miracles in Progress. About the amazing synergy between Helen Schucman and Bill Thetford.

When I was younger I would have taken up the  course... not enough years for me now. But more so I think the MIP route is but only one. There is an amazing synergy between teacher, and taught and that is much more important than the tag.

Also the group, the crew, the gang, is so important too... the goals dreams and activities that bond people together...

so I acknowledge MIP and what is presented here. I have sensed presence, at vital times, of members or supporters- very subtle, but distinct.

My precursors are Lois and Bill... who I am certain, are tapped into the same sources.

Some newcomers baulk at the higher power stuff. I always emphasis our own hopes and dreams. Christians have blocks and crises too. No one is immune to that. If a crisis has bought us here, then is is time to review our core beliefs. No-one is immune from that. [in recovery].

My ACA/Alanon feeds much more into my church community. To be fair, and honest 'the church' has offered little, or nothing into the 12 step arena. [Just my experience and opinion.]

I have moved into a church community now which openly supports the work we are doing inside of our recovery process.

This has bought tough work and challenges... I don't share these online and in the forum any more... I just draw strength from being here... and take care of the issues 'at home'.

So there is a depth and synergy between the actual and the virtual world, which ARE both real.

 

Thanks James aww

David.



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