"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"
Sought:
- To resort to : go to
- To go in search of : look for
- To try to discover
- To ask for : request-seeks advice
- To try to acquire or gain
This concept was completely foreign to me, but once I comphended the purity of it, a whole new world opened to me as to how I perceive everything and everyone. I went from "what can you do for me" to "how can I be of service here or to them" which takes one from a predator, to just being me and allowing you to just be you. I can't, by automatic default, see anyone from that perspective anymore, which takes time to get used to especially if people think that is where you are coming from-but, it's only because that is where they are coming from-which is fine, I don't have to prove or convince anyone of anything anymore. This is an experiential program in all aspects. I suppose I could find and quote some stats, but why...instead will just offer my experience and leave you to yours.
In my experience God is awesome and the foundation of my sobriety-period. While I appreciate the meetings and all that go along with our amazing program, it. you and they, can't keep me sober because what if they, you and it just disappeared-or, they, you or it went sideways? My best and most trusted friend is God; and that relationship has the freedom to expand and grow depending upon my cousinessious expansion. If I had kept God confined to the box of my limited comprehension then that limits God to where I was when I closed my mind and heart off to receive new information and that's where we stay until I decide to grow in conscious contact again.
So in AA we say, choose your own concept of God-because if I had the same santa god, your god, an angry god, a group of drunks, or the God I had coming in here-or even the or along my sober path, then I would be drunk, dead, depressed, or discouraged. As I grow, God grows and always will meet me where I am. From my current understanding-God wants a relationship with us, but on an invite only basis.
If I want to know God, then I need to seek God with an open mind and heart on a consistent/daily basis. Just like anything-the more consistent I am with something, the better the results. This is not a one and done act if I want something real, and something sustainable. I certainly could not get drunk on yesterday's booze-and I can't grow properly in anything good from yesterday's prayer and meditation.