Mcribb

Today I was thinking about how much I WANT things. I want to be happy, I want BMW, I want to feel good. The book tells us The Lord is my Shepard, there is nothing I shall want. I say that, but I don't walk the walk. Now if you don't believe in god, you can say, Let it Be, or let the Universe do it's thang, or whatever saying you have hung up in your house, but actually don't practice. Practice over and over. That is all I am thinking today is to let go and whatever will happen will happen, but be sober. This was a conversation with my dad today

Mcribb: You shouldn't want a car The Lord is my Shepard there is nothing I shall want
Dad: Still a new BMW would be nice.
Mcribb: DANG IT! THE LORD IS MY SHEPARD!!!!

zbear23

I chaired my morning AA meeting today....a BB study, and read out of the chapter on "working with others." My own conclusions from that are that as long as I had my own agenda....getting money, property,, prestige, restoring my family, my job, etc.....I continued to relapse. It was only when I gave it all up to a God of my understanding....and sought recovery for its own sake, that I succeeded. In the process, I gave up the BMW, the house, the marriage, the job....I stopped needing to impress anyone (including myself), stopped needing to prove anything to anyone, and realized that, "Job or no job, wife or no wife," I simply would not be able to stay sober so long as I depended on anything other than my HP. No human power could restore me to sanity.

blessings
zenbear

LaFemme

It's "shall not want"...which I think means a little different.

That said...I think that wanting material things is not the way to achieve happiness. A friend and I were talking yesterday...we were talking about how prevalent drinking to excess is in our society. My friend felt it was a way for people to fill a void in their life, their internal life. Of course it doesn't fill the void so ultimately you try to add more and more but nothing ever fills it.

LaFemme

It's "shall not want"...which I think means a little different.

That said...I think that wanting material things is not the way to achieve happiness. A friend and I were talking yesterday...we were talking about how prevalent drinking to excess is in our society. My friend felt it was a way for people to fill a void in their life, their internal life. Of course it doesn't fill the void so ultimately you try to add more and more but nothing ever fills it.

augustwest

there's nothing inherently wrong with "things". it's our relationship to them that gets muddy. everything we need to have unshakable peace already exists inside us and is accessible right here, right now. in fact, that's the only place it's accessible.

before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.
after enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.

LaFemme

Sorry for the double post...computer problems.

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with "things" unless you look to things to make you happy...I too, would like a Brand new, 4-door Jeep-Wrangler, with a manual transmission and soft top, preferably in black but I will consider other colors;-) See, I've got it all picked out...LOL

Fandy

how about "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"?

(I'd like an Acura MDX but will probably settle for a Rav-4, I've been car shopping)

augustwest

yep. and of course looking to things to make you happy would be you problem, not a thing problem. it's all about intent and attachment.

eremc08

My husband needs a car and a bmw would be nice, yes Tell Dad I'll take it! LOL

I also wish for good things, but good things like nothing bad to happen. That's mostly what I want. We want a nice house and the only way to get that is to work hard, save, and pray my husband lands a nice stable permanent position with a reputable company. Nothing too big, just enough room for us and something with potential we can turn into a great home to raise the kids in and grow old in We get by with whatever we have now.

Whenever I confess my sins to the priest, I always talk about how I'm jealous of the jones' and how other families have all this great stuff, etc. He always tells me the same thing "It's natural to see what others want you to see but you don't see the things they don't want you to see. No one's life is better than another's because they have material things and a huge house. You don't know what lies beneath the exterior and they could be not the family you really want to be" .. It makes me realize what's really important. Being sober and having my family be happy.

murrill

I shall not want.....but oh, how I did! While I am not a Christian (or religious in any other way) the spirit of that message resonates. I remember the never-ending attempt to fill the emptiness: When I get this I'll be satiated, once I have that I'll be complete.....But of course I never was. I just craved more & more & more. For me I think it probably had a lot to do with running from myself, from coming face-to-face with my spirit, with me. For you it is expressed as "the Lord is my Shepherd." I think my own journey speaks the same idea, except that it meant becoming one with the spirit of the universe, of being in harmony. That is when I know what many call a Higher Power. And all of those "things"? They came between spirit & me. They satisfied my ego, for a while anyway, so I didn't have to be spiritual.

NEOMARXIST

I know for me that I genuinely got sober simply because I had enough of being a drunk. My motives were pure, so to speak. I got sober for me just to get sober. I wanted to recover and I have found that recovery has brought about a mindset much purer than that I used to seek out though LSD and such like.

It's nice to have the positives of sobriety rub off on yourself and others around you but I am happy to live 'one day at a time' and look after today and have faith that things will turn out ,providing I work my recovery with rigorous honesty. This has been my experience over the past 14 months.

I have gained more peace and Love than I ever gained through drink and drugs. I remember at the police station telling the officers at reception that my drug use was just peace and love and where's the problem? I get that from recovery and don't have to bother getting nicked!

Peace

LexieCat

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a color TV ?
Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me.
I wait for delivery each day until three,
So oh Lord, won't you buy me a color TV ?

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a night on the town ?
I'm counting on you, Lord, please don't let me down.
Prove that you love me and buy the next round,
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a night on the town ?

Everybody!
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends,
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?

(That's it!)