Thread: A little stuck
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Old 01-30-2013, 05:32 PM
  # 12 (permalink)  
LexieCat
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Jersey
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Nope, I think the name of J.C. pops up once in Bill's story in the Big Book, and that's it.

One thing to note is that the Eleventh Step talks about how we "sought through prayer AND MEDITATION to improve our conscious contact with God AS WE UNDERSTOOD HIM, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."

Now, forget about the "Him" and "His" for a second, because "God as we understand Him" can be anything you think is more powerful than you. Meditation has a long tradition in Buddhism, which does not worship a deity, as such. It has a long tradition in many religions and secular practices that share few beliefs. When you can get in touch with a Higher Power, even if it is the spirit deep down inside you that makes you calm and centered, you can hand things over to that whatever-it-is, let go of trying to control it, and trust that things will unfold as they should. When you think about it, the Universe runs just fine without any help from any of us.

The "crazy Jesus lady" doesn't understand the Steps, because none of us has a right to impose our concept of spirituality on someone else. I completely respect someone whose HP is Jesus, or the Buddha, or Allah, or the Great Spirit, or the pagan Goddess. Or the Higgs Bosun particle. Whatever works and gives you strength.

I am sort of an agnostic type, similar to Mike, I suppose, in that I tend to believe there is SOMETHING taking care of what needs to happen but I don't pretend to understand it, nor do I need to. And when it comes time to say the Serenity Prayer or the Lord's Prayer in a group, I think of the power of expressing those wishes in a group of people who all are humbly asking for the same kind of help for themselves and others. It's powerful stuff, regardless of the technicalities of my beliefs.
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