Amends and your HP

[justanothrdrunk]

Anyone put their HP on their 8th step list?

I was working on mine recently and I wondered about this so I asked my sponsor what he thought.

He asked me if I thought it were possible to cause harm to my HP. I decided that it was not possible for me to harm my HP and so I left my HP off my list.

Just curious about other's thoughts on this.

[Peter]

Well, assuming your HP is not a fellow humn being I really don't think it is necessary to put your HP on your amends list.

[donnajr1]

I am on 5, 6, and 7 right now, but I definitely have thought about it. I mean how could I not! As far as making amends, I am hoping a living amends will be the most powerful way to show I have learned and changed my ways.

[barb dwyer]

The Infinite was one of the biggest things in my fourth, so why not?

It would depend on how you do it, though.

Every act of the warrior is a tribute to the Infinite for the priviledge of having been born into this world at all.

*shrug*

it's one of them 'comtemplate things.
Think about it.
Every.
Single.
Act.
Performeed with the Conscious Awareness
of All that Is
to bring Beauty into this world....

wow.
that's a rush.

so what we leave ...
to the Earth,
to others
to Life ItSelf ...
would be a living amends, wouldn't it?

I would think
(were I one to do that thinking thing)
that if I'd harmed others in retaliation of what I'd held in my highest mind and heart as appropriate or inappropriate
to Universal Livingness...
knowing that it was against the Will of the One ...
that it did not belong beauty
but deliberately brought pain...

then ...
*shrug*
yeah.
There might be some kind of amends there.

But the whole Program in and of Itself

our honesty
our ability to change at all

is a living amends to the Great Whatever.

[Tommyh]

no,I did not

[sugErspun]

The things that I thought were my higher power showed up in my fourth - then I saw the root of that problem.

Me.

Specifically my fear inventory addressed the question - Were these things reliance on self rather than a power greater than myself? Yeah - across the board.

The resentment and fear vanished, so I did not have ammends to make to a higher power - afterall, I did a 3rd step where I offered ALL of me, and a 7th step where I was ready to have my shortcomings/defects removed (and faith that it would happen) and asked for strength in carrying out God's (easier term for higher power for me) will for me.

[findingout]

Originally Posted by barb dwyer

But the whole Program in and of Itself

our honesty
our ability to change at all

is a living amends to the Great Whatever.

That is some great thinking.

I think I will tack it to my mental bulletin board. Thank you.

[REZ]

I did not put HP on my amends list. How can I harm God? I can disappoint him or maybe anger him, but harm? No.

[Jfanagle]

What harm could it do?

It has been awhile since I completed my 9TH step, of course I am continually working my 10TH, but it seems that in my case the amends that I make are for my benefit first, and those to whom I make them second, therefore if it works for you, why not?

[Music]

Originally Posted by justanothrdrunk

Anyone put their HP on their 8th step list?

I was working on mine recently and I wondered about this so I asked my sponsor what he thought.

He asked me if I thought it were possible to cause harm to my HP. I decided that it was not possible for me to harm my HP and so I left my HP off my list.

Just curious about other's thoughts on this.

I believe my HP, God, to be a loving and just power. To the extent that I had a resentment toward God in the fact that I didn't believe He was loving and just was hurting Him, in the same fashion that I'm hurt when someone believes something isn't true about me. I've recently become a Catholic and have made my amends through the sacrament of confession. I'm free of my resentment not only toward God, but toward his church(people)who I used to refer to as hypocrites, 'cause now I realize that I'm one of them too and I work at that every day. In general though, I'm at peace with myself and with my HP....finally. Addionally, today I'm not only responsible for my actions as far as the AA program, but I have another responsibility to my faith and my church.

[353]

Page 53 of the BB asked me to decide. Is there a God or not? Is God everything or nothing? If there is a God then He must be everything, He can't be just some things and not others.

God must be all...the things and people I like, and the things and people I don't like....everything.

When I make an amends to someone, that person belongs to God, is part of God, so I'm making an amends to God.

[jimhere]

Originally Posted by 353

Page 53 of the BB asked me to decide. Is there a God or not? Is God everything or nothing? If there is a God then He must be everything, He can't be just some things and not others.

God must be all...the things and people I like, and the things and people I don't like....everything.

When I make an amends to someone, that person belongs to God, is part of God, so I'm making an amends to God.

It was during my first set of amends that I first experienced The Great Reality.

One day I was at home on a rainy Saturday afternoon. And it was quiet. No tv, no music. I didn't have any money because I wasn't working and was paying back financial amends. So I couldn't go out running around "doing" things to escape the roaring silence.

As I was looking out my window I could see the river and there was mist rising from the fields. I suddenly realized that It was quiet, both within and without and I didn't want to be anywhere else but where I was at. And I had a sense of being connected to everyone and everything. I was "being" instead of doing.
Jim

[Mala09]

Since each member of AA is free to choose the Higher Power of her or his understanding, the question of being able to hurt ot harm one's HP would depend on the kind of Higher Power chosen. God as we understand God, whether that be Good Orderly Direction or the power of the group or a personal Friend.

My only concern would be if I was to put off the sometimes scary and painful effort of making amends to those very real human friends I had harmed and distract myself by focusing on an abstract divinity.

Mala

[Tazman53]

Interesting, I didn't put God on my inventory nor my amends list, but at the time I did my 4th thru 8th, I still had a lot to work on to improve my conscious contact with God as I understood Him...., as my contact improved I did make my amends with Him, I continue to do so as I improve my conscious contact. I am ever evolving and learning, as time goes by and I work my program, I still see new amends that need to be made, I still have old resentments that I was unaware of when I first did my 4th pop up, I work on these as they come up.

I am so thankful that I have learned I need to continue to strive for progress and not perfection..... I have a long way to go, but I have come a long way as well thanks to my HP, the Fellowship, & the program. I am overall at peace with myself and the world, I still have things that I need to work on, but I am aware of them and working on them..... I am not owned by them!