New and struggling with "God as we understood him" - Al-Anon Family Group

jlm889 · Newbie

New and struggling with "God as we understood him"

hotrod · ~*Service Worker*~

Hi Janet

Welcome to Miracles in Progress

Alanon is a "Spiritual Program and not a religious one. The principles that we embrace are part of many spiritual practices down thru the ages.

I too had a difficult time with the concept of a Higher Power. I knew I felt better, saner, more whole while I was attending alanon meetings, The tools I was offered, Living One Day at a Time, focusing on myself. letting go of anger, resentment, gossip, enabled me to let go of my fears, my need to isolate and begin to live. I decided that the alanon program, the tools and the rooms would be my Higher Power.

Others have used Good Orderly Direction as their HP.

Please keep an open mind and look into yourself so you can find what would work for you

Keep coming back You are worth it.

Jerry F · ~*Service Worker*~

Aloha J and welcome to the board...come joing the family of recovery...Here is what I work religiously in the program...the steps, traditions and slogans and the suggestions that work for others. We are not saints or perfect. Every day is a holiday if we stay on our side of the street mind our own business and stay out of the lives of others who don't ask us to run their lives for them. Yessir many of our meetings are held in the rooms of churches and other religious organizations and we are not affiliated with them and gladly welcome their broken membership into our healing family. My understanding of who God is for me works best and that is one less issue I have to work at convincing others that mine is best. Mine is mine...that's all. I hope you stick around discover whats best for J so that you can have what we have.

Keep coming back (((((hugs))))) smile

By the way I've been around a long while in program and I've seen everything regarding defining HP from changing the wording of HP's gender (I love this one) to getting rid of the "Lords Prayer" to Not saying "God" personally in the serenity prayer but letting the group take the lead with it. Very very best closing prayer I have ever experienced was done by a Blackfoot Dakota tribesman. I still have goose bumps from it...I witness a personal communication between this native indian and "The great creator". WoW!!

smile

jorjorjor · Veteran Member

thanks for sharing and welcometo al anon! i was not a "god" person when i came to al anon and this wierded me out too. the cool thing about al anon is that you can define spirituality how ever you what.

for me god is a process and a way of being in the world that i learn about in al anon. my friend told me that his higher power was the most awesome thing he could possibly think of in a given moment. for other folks its music or yoga or dancing or baseball! also you can tke what you like and leave the rest. so if you like al anon but dont feel the spiritual thing, thats totallly cool!

likemyheart · ~*Service Worker*~

I can honestly say that my higher power, especially in the beginning was the overwhelming desire/need to get out of the chaotic mess my life had become and find a way back to a sane life.

jlm889 · Newbie

Thanks for all the support and ideas! I still don't have my 'clear view' of what God will mean to me, but I think that it will evolve over time into my very own concept!

Thanks again!

atheos · Senior Member

That was my big struggle when I first came to Al-Anon as well... I was, and still am, an atheist. Maybe some of the wonderful ESH people here gave me when I was new can help you too...

My HP now is the collective wisdom of Al-Anon and its members. Al-Anon doesn't omnipotently pull strings in my life, but I can look to it for guidance, and when I follow that guidance things tend to go well (because the guidance comes from the experience-derived wisdom of thousands of people who've been through similar situations) -- so that makes it a very good Higher Power as far as I'm concerned!

-- Edited by atheos on Thursday 21st of June 2012 09:20:09 PM

The material presented here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method to exchange information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal level.