December 23, 2008

Abundant Hope

Hopelessness has been replaced by abundant hope and sincere faith. . .
I find joy in my daily life, in being of service, in simply being. . .
The things that I have learned from my own experience, from the Big Book,
and from my friends in AA -- patience, acceptance, honesty, humility,
and true faith in a Power greater than myself --
are the tools I use today to live my life, this precious life.

Thought to Ponder....

Faith is hope in things unseen.




This is one of the critical keys to recovery. The program asks you to have faith. Faith in what? Either a higher power, or the practices and principlles of the program. I could see how people would have an issue with that and call it brainwashing. How can they expect you to have faith in something you can't even see? Isn't that crazy?

The point is that we couldn't do this stuff on oour own, we tried, and failed. So ya have to start somewhere new, have to trust in something other than your previous stinkin thinkin. That's where the faith comes in.

For a lot of people, that faith involves God, but it doesn't have to. It can be whatever you want it to be. It can be people, your sponsor, etc. For me, even if you have doubts, the willingness to at least try and have an open mind is a plus.