Why do I love this image?
So much of prayer and meditation has been about letting go of
emotions, thoughts,
people, places,
plans of action, stuff,
beliefs, paradigms,
brainstorms,
ideas of God...
giving them over in their time, in God's time, with the same spirit as I see her releasing this bird;
"Goodbye. I'm now willing to let go, to set us both free. Let God's will be done."
This image came into my life when Freddy was sick from cancer.
The woman is me, the indigenous person I wanted to be and ultimately, may truly be, releasing him to God when he died, trusting in his courageous move to the other side of the veil.
In this way, the steps have moved me closer and closer to the truth, one day at a time.
So much of prayer and meditation has been about letting go of
emotions, thoughts,
people, places,
plans of action, stuff,
beliefs, paradigms,
brainstorms,
ideas of God...
giving them over in their time, in God's time, with the same spirit as I see her releasing this bird;
"Goodbye. I'm now willing to let go, to set us both free. Let God's will be done."
This image came into my life when Freddy was sick from cancer.
The woman is me, the indigenous person I wanted to be and ultimately, may truly be, releasing him to God when he died, trusting in his courageous move to the other side of the veil.
In this way, the steps have moved me closer and closer to the truth, one day at a time.
God, the "Great Iconoclast"
One of the most powerful beliefs I have been called upon to let go of is my idea of, my concept of, my beliefs about God.
One of the most powerful beliefs I have been called upon to let go of is my idea of, my concept of, my beliefs about God.
"My idea of God is not a divine idea.
It has to be shattered time after time.
He shatters it Himself.
God is the great iconoclast.
Could we not almost say that this shattering is one of the marks of His presence?
The Incarnation is the supreme example.
It leaves all previous ideas of the Messiah in ruins.
And most are "offended" by the iconoclasm;
and blessed are those who are not.
But the the same thing happens in our private prayers."
All reality is iconoclastic."
- C.S. Lewis, from "A Grief Observed"
Iconoclast:
1. a person who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration
2: a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions
Origin and Etymology :
from Middle Greek eikonoklastēs, literally, image destroyer,
from Greek eikono- image + klan - to break
1. a person who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration
2: a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions
Origin and Etymology :
from Middle Greek eikonoklastēs, literally, image destroyer,
from Greek eikono- image + klan - to break
"God, please set aside for me everything I think I know about you, me, the steps, spirituality, life so that I might have an open mind for a new experience with you, me, the steps, spirituality, and life. Thy will be done."
I didn't know what I didn't know.
I can't get past my own ego.
Today, I still can't know what I don't know.
Until I was 29 years old, 33 years ago, I never thought or experienced that God loved me or guided me, cared for me, spoke to me. But I came to believe that through my own experience. It's not a literal voice I hear.
The following are some of the ways I signal with my words the "presence, the "voice," the "guidance," the "love" of God in my life when I am speaking to others:
"the thought came to..."
"the power was there to..."
"I knew it was right to..."
"I felt it was wrong to...."
"God spoke to me through Carlotta when she said..."
"I felt God's presence (affirmation, confirmation, love,) when...."
None of these "life moments" have answers within scripture.
Scripture just doesn't say, "Tell Freddy you would like to marry him." "Go for a walk at 3:07." "Wash the dishes in the morning." "Write Carlotta an email." "Don't have any more coffee."
I didn't know what I didn't know.
I can't get past my own ego.
Today, I still can't know what I don't know.
Until I was 29 years old, 33 years ago, I never thought or experienced that God loved me or guided me, cared for me, spoke to me. But I came to believe that through my own experience. It's not a literal voice I hear.
The following are some of the ways I signal with my words the "presence, the "voice," the "guidance," the "love" of God in my life when I am speaking to others:
"the thought came to..."
"the power was there to..."
"I knew it was right to..."
"I felt it was wrong to...."
"God spoke to me through Carlotta when she said..."
"I felt God's presence (affirmation, confirmation, love,) when...."
- I knew it was true that I have the "phenomenon of craving" for alcohol when I heard the Doctor's Opinion. I know it still today, 34 years later. I can not control and enjoy my drinking nor can I stay stopped on my own. I am a real alcoholic.
- The Power was there to follow my sponsor Richard's direction.
- I felt it was wrong to speak up.
- The thought came to help when her rent money was stolen.
- I felt God was speaking to me when he shared about how Steps 6 and 7 allowed forgiveness into his soul.
- The thought came, "Who is this man" when Freddy said, "I know what you mean." Authentic, valid trust began at that moment. We got married 6 months later and stayed together until death did us part.
- I felt it was right to stay home this morning; it turned out to be the right decision.
- The thought came to move; it turned out to be so right.
- The power was there to trust the new neurosurgeon for my daughter.
- I felt God comforting me as the light breeze hit my face.
- The thought came to start an AA meeting.
- God spoke through Tony when he suggested I name my older daughter after my mother.
- I prayed and the power was there to tell him the truth.
- I felt God was saying "I love you" as the sun warmed my back walking down Sunset after a great disappointment.
- I knew it was wrong to have another cup of coffee but did it anyway.
None of these "life moments" have answers within scripture.
Scripture just doesn't say, "Tell Freddy you would like to marry him." "Go for a walk at 3:07." "Wash the dishes in the morning." "Write Carlotta an email." "Don't have any more coffee."
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father , and he will give you another Helper,
to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees him nor knows him.
You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."
(John 14:15-17)
"In thinking about our day, we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or decision. We relax and take it easy. We don't struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while. What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind. Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times....Nevertheless we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it."
(Big Book pages 86-87)
"Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out."
(Big Book page 57)
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days declares the LORD;
I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.
And I will be their God, and they will be my people.
And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother saying,
"know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD.
For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
(Jeremiah 31:32)
And I will ask the Father , and he will give you another Helper,
to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees him nor knows him.
You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."
(John 14:15-17)
"In thinking about our day, we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or decision. We relax and take it easy. We don't struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while. What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind. Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times....Nevertheless we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it."
(Big Book pages 86-87)
"Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out."
(Big Book page 57)
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days declares the LORD;
I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.
And I will be their God, and they will be my people.
And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother saying,
"know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD.
For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
(Jeremiah 31:32)
My understanding is that God does not want us to be rule-bound as we were under the Pharisees and Saduccees but rather to be free, liberated from religious and inter-personal oppression, "to worship in spirit and truth." I hear this message loud and clear from the Bible and the Big Book. God wants us to love God and love neighbor as ourselves. NOT easy. NOT easy. But this is the heart of it.
I believe that God "speaks" through thoughts, that thoughts are energy from God or from the devil and I have the power and wisdom to know the difference as I stay in relationship to my divine Employer through the 12 Steps. To me, the "helper," "the Holy Spirit," "intuitive thought," are the voice of God guiding me from within. Scripture is often another way God speaks.
The reading of Biblical Scripture
The reading of Big Book Scripture
Jesus was one of them, completely One with the Father, saying and doing only that which the Father guided him to say and do.
Maybe ask those who say they do to describe that experience?
I believe that God "speaks" through thoughts, that thoughts are energy from God or from the devil and I have the power and wisdom to know the difference as I stay in relationship to my divine Employer through the 12 Steps. To me, the "helper," "the Holy Spirit," "intuitive thought," are the voice of God guiding me from within. Scripture is often another way God speaks.
The reading of Biblical Scripture
- keeps me closer to the truth of the Great Reality, the reality of the "veil," the Risen Christ, the reality of evil and lies;
- sustains my belief in God's victory over death, the LOVE that never fails, the truth of God within me;
- keeps me inspired with new insights and understandings;
- keeps me humble, awake to my foibles, my capacity for doing wrong and being oblivious to evil;
- gives me on-going experiences of God's order, my connectedness to "a great cloud of witnesses" throughout his- or her- story, to feel useful within that order.
The reading of Big Book Scripture
- guides me in working the steps to break free of oppression, to have a "spiritual awakening."
- describes and guides me in using a simple set of effective spiritual tools
- gives me explicit simple directions for staying close to God one day at a time
- keeps me away from rigidity, legalism, know-it-all-ism, and spiritual pride
- keeps me grounded in a message of depth and weight
- grows me as a more effective sponsor
- keeps me inspired with new insights and understandings;
- gives me an on-going experiences of God's order and to feel purposeful within that order.
Jesus was one of them, completely One with the Father, saying and doing only that which the Father guided him to say and do.
Maybe ask those who say they do to describe that experience?