He's not afraid of a good mess......
Last night at work I was thinking. I was thinking about how traumatic addiction is to us.
I thought of how it scares me and all the time I have spent skirting around the edges and I try to avoid facing the realities that come with addiction. The ugly responses that I personally have had. Seeing family members behave in ways that embarrass and frighten me.
I went on to think of how God isn't afraid of that big mess though. He jumps into the middle of it, up to His elbows. Ugly messes don't' scare Him or disgust Him or put Him off. I thought of Him entering the leper colonies. He wasn't afraid.
I am so grateful to have a Higher Power who isn't scared off by our human sickness. A Higher Power who stands with us, never flinching in the face of drama. Who quietly asks us to stop and listen to His still small voice.....that He has a solution to share with us, if we want it.
~ ~ ~
It has come up in some of my meetings that there is talk of eliminating The Lords Prayer as an option for a closing prayer. A newcomer caused a fuss and our district rep feels we need to support the newcomers. I am hearing that the WSO is having an issue with the use of The Lords Prayer also but is leaving it to the discretion of each individual group whether to use it or not.
This bothers me. If Alanon begins to try to become politically correct and eliminate God so that no one is offended, they are walking away from the very founding principles and traditions that make the program what it is. A Higher Power can be anything or anyone.....and I am fine with that neutrality for those who struggle with the idea of a HP or do not have a faith in God. But to begin eliminating and controlling and making rules about what prayers are allowed or not is counter to all of Alanon. Take what you like and leave the rest. There are no musts in Alanon.
Maybe this is just something in my local area... and I am reminded that even this is not too big for my HP to handle.
Annette
I thought of how it scares me and all the time I have spent skirting around the edges and I try to avoid facing the realities that come with addiction. The ugly responses that I personally have had. Seeing family members behave in ways that embarrass and frighten me.
I went on to think of how God isn't afraid of that big mess though. He jumps into the middle of it, up to His elbows. Ugly messes don't' scare Him or disgust Him or put Him off. I thought of Him entering the leper colonies. He wasn't afraid.
I am so grateful to have a Higher Power who isn't scared off by our human sickness. A Higher Power who stands with us, never flinching in the face of drama. Who quietly asks us to stop and listen to His still small voice.....that He has a solution to share with us, if we want it.
~ ~ ~
It has come up in some of my meetings that there is talk of eliminating The Lords Prayer as an option for a closing prayer. A newcomer caused a fuss and our district rep feels we need to support the newcomers. I am hearing that the WSO is having an issue with the use of The Lords Prayer also but is leaving it to the discretion of each individual group whether to use it or not.
This bothers me. If Alanon begins to try to become politically correct and eliminate God so that no one is offended, they are walking away from the very founding principles and traditions that make the program what it is. A Higher Power can be anything or anyone.....and I am fine with that neutrality for those who struggle with the idea of a HP or do not have a faith in God. But to begin eliminating and controlling and making rules about what prayers are allowed or not is counter to all of Alanon. Take what you like and leave the rest. There are no musts in Alanon.
Maybe this is just something in my local area... and I am reminded that even this is not too big for my HP to handle.
Annette
Comments
I love the Lord's Prayer and hope to God we never abandon it. But I can see the writing on the wall. I once left a group over this :(
And I think that caving to a newcomer's discomfort is a really bad plan. Of course they are uncomfortable! Maybe we could also tell them that all their problems really are the alcoholic/drug addict's fault and they don't need to look at themselves. That would improve their comfort greatly.
Personally, one thing I am "recovering" from, is a very religious background, and saying the lords prayer at a meeting always sets off a reaction inside me that is not comfortable. I've never left a meeting because of it, but it does give me a feeling of being in the wrong place and I'm more likely to attend one where it isn't used.
Cy