Tell Me How (Step 2) Came to Believe

[If Not For Grace]

Would you all please talk about how = AFTER admitting your life had become unmanageable you came to Believe that a power greater than yourself could restore you to sanity.

THIS is not a how you got "saved" ?, but how you came to believe?
(Pre-salvation)

 

[madison1101]

Well, I am not sure exactly how to answer your question, but I will try.

My faith/belief in God has evolved. I grew up attending Catholic school, and was taught about Jesus and sin, and the crucifixion and resurrection. I never doubted that stuff at all, so I had a childlike belief. In high school, I wanted more than the Catholic church had to offer in the way of ministering. I felt empty, and went on a search. A friend told me about her church, and I began to attend it, and became born again/saved.

My recovery in AA started about 14 years later, I began to attend AA, and got sober for about 8 years, then relapsed, then got sober again for six years. My relapse was two years, and included irregular AA attendance and outpatient treatment. My belief began to waver. My relapse was different than my previous drinking episodes, because I had gastric bypass surgery, and now process alcohol differently.

It took me going to rehab inpatient, and becoming desperate, before I got the sobriety I have now. While in rehab, I was given a Life Recovery Bible, which has devotions about the steps using scripture. I met another believer there, and we began to have devotions together every morning. I had a point where I had to trust God about my stay there, and my friend and I prayed together and I surrendered that issue to the Lord and had perfect peace about it. That solidified my belief that God could restore me to sanity.

I have worked my steps up to Step Nine so far. I hope to complete that soon. Right now, I have 14 months of sobriety, for which I am most grateful.

I hope this answers your question. Sorry it was so long.

Trish

 

[mustang_94]

Would you all please talk about how = AFTER admitting your life had become unmanageable you came to Believe that a power greater than yourself could restore you to sanity.

THIS is not a how you got "saved" ?, but how you came to believe?
(Pre-salvation)

I would like to help, but your question is not clear to me. Are you trying to believe that you can live sober? Or trying to believe that there "is" a power greater than yourself? Maybe trying to believe that, where drinking is concerned, you truly are insane?
I wrestled with all these things and more when I first started. I also drank on and off for eight more years with periods of soberity as long as 3 years. I was always a "can do guy", but this thing was beating hell out of me. I had spent so much time trying to "figure it out" that I felt like I was losing my mind.
I decided to just forget about which came first, The chicken or the egg, and just get on with it. Which is what I would suggest to you. My A.A. group kept me between the ditches long enough to make it to the ninth step. For me this was the one that seperated the men from the boys.
When I was nineteen,I went with two other idiots and broke into an office in a cemetary. Short version is that one of the guys was shot by the police, the other had a record and served three years in prison. I got three years probation.
All of this had come up in the 4th step and the eighth. In truth I never intended to address it in the ninth. "Let sleeping dogs lie.
"One day I met the man who had owned the cemetary and knew I had been fooling myself. He did not know who I was. I was forty at this time and had been sober about five years. I'll finish in another post.

 

[mustang_94]

Would you all please talk about how = AFTER admitting your life had become unmanageable you came to Believe that a power greater than yourself could restore you to sanity.

THIS is not a how you got "saved" ?, but how you came to believe?
(Pre-salvation)

Well, this got long, didn't it? I guess you or I one, needed to hear it.
I called my sponsor and tried to explain why there was no good reason to bother this man. He said, Get on with it and hung up. I found the man's address and showed up at his door on a sunday morning.(hoped he was at church or something). He remembered me and invited me in. When he introduced me to his wife, I almost lost my nerve. I explained why I was there and they both stared at me like deer caught in the headlights.
I assured them that I was willing to make restitution in whatever way. The man asked why I was doing this and I told them about my drinking and A.A.That I was afraid if I didn't do it, I would drink again. He began to tell me about his drinking and how he almost died with it. he didn't know about A.A. The long and short of it was I asked if he would forgive me. I cried, they cried and after a bunch of hugs, I walked out and got in my truck and Jesus got in,too. This thing is not compilcated. If you are willing to believe, then do the next right thing and let some other idiot "figure it all out." A week later I went to a church with a friend and left from there baptisted in the Spirit and speaking in tongues.
Good Luck, baby girl

 

[RuthD]

In step 2 you come to believe in a power greater than yourself that could restore you to sanity. You can believe that God is a greater power as he is. Some that do not believe in God have used other things to keep sober. For example, you can come to believe that the group will keep you sober, too. If you need getting saved to believe in a higher power by all means pray to do so. Good luck to you.

 

[If Not For Grace]

but your question is not clear to me.

The Question is HOW did you come to believe..period But I wanted to differentiate that from "getting saved" testimonies, by assuming that before one could be "saved" one had to "come to believe". Was it the group, nature, a peson, a book, etc. & how did that come about? By attending meetings? Reading? etc. Does that clear it a bit?

PS: For those reading this thread I AM a Believer, & I have been physically attending at least one Al-Anon Group for 20+ years. My Physical addictions are Cigarettes & Potato Chips

 

[If Not For Grace]

A

friend told me about her church, and I began to attend it, and became born again/saved.

See this is what I hear over & over again in "Church" yet something here( in the religious sect alone) seems lacking so we get to:

It took me going to rehab inpatient, and becoming desperate, before I got the sobriety I have now. While in rehab, I was given a Life Recovery Bible, which has devotions about the steps using scripture. I met another believer there, and we began to have devotions together every morning. I had a point where I had to trust God about my stay there, and my friend and I prayed together and I surrendered that issue to the Lord and had perfect peace about it. That solidified my belief that God could restore me to sanity.

Now There we go-in one area we seem to LEARN & yet it takes many of us more than "church" to come to believe & to get Spiritual.

Congrats Madison-

 

[chilehed]

Would you all please talk about how = AFTER admitting your life had become unmanageable you came to Believe that a power greater than yourself could restore you to sanity...

Part of it was hearing people talk about the crazy stuff that went on in their heads (which happened to be the same crazy stuff that went on in mine), seeing how their lives were getting better, and awakening to the fact that if I''m not so different after all then maybe what worked for them could work for me.

Another part was taking all the suggestions - meetings every day, sposorship, staying out of intimate relationships, all of that - and seeing that as time went by my life was starting to get better.

 

[If Not For Grace]

seeing how their lives were getting better, and awakening to the fact that if I''m not so different after all then maybe what worked for them could work for me.

Exactly-that's the kind of experience I'm interested in--my own personal experience
began with Nature-noticing the stars, being married to a farmer (nobody understands seed time/harvest like a farmer) & working in the medical & legal fields (the human body is a great study in how MANy things work together for the benefit or detriment of the whole) & the legal system teaches us how without order there is choas. So in taking the time to see how everything seems connected, I came to believe that there was a POWER greater than myself or any "group" of people, that had at least a hand in putting this whole show together. It was a process, but that's how I came, came too, & came to Believe! Anybody else?

 

[mustang_94]

The Question is HOW did you come to believe..period But I wanted to differentiate that from "getting saved" testimonies, by assuming that before one could be "saved" one had to "come to believe". Was it the group, nature, a peson, a book, etc. & how did that come about? By attending meetings? Reading? etc. Does that clear it a bit?

PS: For those reading this thread I AM a Believer, & I have been physically attending at least one Al-Anon Group for 20+ years. My Physical addictions are Cigarettes & Potato Chips

Personally, I think you just missed the message i.e., if you are WILLING to COME to believe, just get on with the steps. The step says we CAME to believe. Past tense. It's a program of action, not staring at your belly button. My post described exactly that. I'm not asking you to agree with me, just saying that I'm not wrong just because you disagree. After all, it has kept me sober twenty-five years.

 

[If Not For Grace]

just saying that I'm not wrong just because you disagree

I'm not disagreeing w/anything, My question is the how-How do you come to believe? Are you saying it is something that just happens? Maybe I can explain it better

Or trying to believe that there "is" a power greater than yourself?

I guess this is more in line w/the question.

if you are WILLING to COME to believe

In what exactly? A power greater than ourselves right?

and Jesus got in,too.

Why Jesus & not Allah, or Buddah or TAO or some other something? Was is just because you had been taught about Jesus opposed to others? How does one come to believe in "god" or define the "higher power" or God as you understand Him?

 

[madison1101]

I'm not disagreeing w/anything, My question is the how-How do you come to believe? Are you saying it is something that just happens? Maybe I can explain it better



I guess this is more in line w/the question.



In what exactly? A power greater than ourselves right?



Why Jesus & not Allah, or Buddah or TAO or some other something? Was is just because you had been taught about Jesus opposed to others? How does one come to believe in "god" or define the "higher power" or God as you understand Him?

This weekend is a perfect time to explain why Jesus is MY Higher Power, and not Allah, or Buddha. Jesus' body is not in a grave, decomposed, or rotted. Buddha's is. Allah is the Muslim name for God.

Jesus' resurrection took God's Power. He was dead, in a grave, and God used His Power to put life back in His body. Scripture says that every believer, because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, has that resurrection power available to them.

It is that power that I believe in to get and keep me sober. I can't avoid a drink without God's power, which is what the 2nd step is all about.

My thinking is this. If God's power could raise Jesus from the dead, and take His resurrected body physically into heaven to sit at His right hand, AND if God could send me His Spirit to indwell me, and empower me, then, His Power can restore me to the sanity of not drinking, and help me heal from the emotional damage of my alcoholism.

I hope this makes sense.

Trish R.

 

[If Not For Grace]

Thanks Trish-That makes it much clearer for me to see where your "belief" comes from. I too "came to believe" in christianity because of the Resurrection, I believe "the tomb is empty" & all of the rest of "theology" is small potatoes compared to that. But even before I came to know that-I new there was "something, some power somewhere that put all this together" I just had to find out "who/what".

 

[rgauth180]

I believe that I gave ALCOHOL power over my life and it nearly killed me. It took everything from me just to feel good. I was spiritually dead. While in prison on Christmas Day (because of alcohol) I remember thinking that this is not so bad because I got 2 packs of cigarettes free. How sick is that! Now I give Jesus, Holy Spirit and my Father POWER over my life and not one of them tried to kill me. But gave me a wonderful Life. I came to believe that MY Will, My Way and not running from the TRUTH, is the only way. I let go of the excuse bag, put it at the foot of the cross. When you are tired of drinking and get HONEST I pray God finds you like he found me. Then he gave me the willingness to change my life. I pray you hear that little voice in YOUR heart like I did, "Have you had enough" I have a wonderful relationship with God and I wouldn't trade it especially for alcohol. Just for a laugh, look up the word insanity. I like Madison have a Life Recovery Bible, I love it. I am praying hard for you. Love you Rick

 

[rgauth180]

This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it! I got on my knees 1st thing and asked him to be w/ me today and be the power that keeps me away from drink. While having my coffee I came across Ephesians 6:13. I would like to share it w/ everyone, if thats ok. Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes,(alcohol) you may be able to stand your ground. Father, thank you for your servent Bill Wilson. Have a great day. Love all

 

[If Not For Grace]

I Love Armor-but I do like to go barefoot & sometimes forget my shoes of Peace.

and not running from the TRUTH,

I agree-Honesty (at least w/yourself) is the KEY to getting in balance which is the Key to a serene life. But sometimes I have a hard time with my REAL motives- one of my biggest problem is being lazy, I get tired of all the work sometimes & just quit for awhile. (If you live by Just for today-you stay busy

 

[If Not For Grace]

look up the word insanity

Now ya'll know I work in a Mental Institution right?

At work we use the term "psychopathology" but I prefer the Al-Anon definition which is
"doing the same thing over & over again expecting a different result" Now that's self inflicted insanity & I was guilty of it for many years before Al-Anon. This was one of the more helpful things I learned in the program.

I am praying hard for you. Love you Rick

Thank you & please continue to do so, but I may have given the wrong impression-I'm no where near NEW to the 12-steps, (20+ years Al-Anon) but Step 2 is often skipped over in meetings-& I am interested in "how" people came to believe prior to their now established belief system, not how they got saved, but what let them KNOW there was a HP and what made them think it/could or would help them.

 

[Chaplain David]

Would you all please talk about how = AFTER admitting your life had become unmanageable you came to Believe that a power greater than yourself could restore you to sanity.

THIS is not a how you got "saved" ?, but how you came to believe?
(Pre-salvation)

It was not hard believing in a power greater than myself because quite frankly, I had messed my life up enough most everything was a power greater than me. Despite believing in God, accepting "came to believe" was difficult because I knew where it was heading. Looking back I remember after failing countless times to stay sober for more than a few days or weeks, "I'd better just do what my sponsor says, what AA says, and follow the directions.

You might have heard the saying, "I can't, He can, I think I'll let Him?" That of course refers to steps 1 through 3. Step two also doesn't say "Came to believe with all my heart and with 100 percent certainty and absolutely, and completely..." Give yourself a break and just do the best you can. You're human and if anything like me at the time, having a rough go of things.

If you can't drink reasonably and you can't get sober alone and it's affected your life, you've taken step 1. Now, acknowledging all the powers in the universe that are greater than you, pick one. But the beauty of it is that you already have. You believe in God.

If you can't. Another saying is "fake it until you make it." That really works until things start clicking for you.

Stick close to your sponsor, go to a lot of meetings, read the literature and no matter what happens, don't take that first drink. I hope that helped a little.

 

[If Not For Grace]

"I can't, He can, I think I'll let Him?

I'm glad your brought that to rememberance-I'm going to borrow that & put it in the Slogans thread.

It was not hard believing in a power greater than myself because ... I had messed my life up enough most everything was a power greater than me.

EXCELLENT POINT-THANKS ONE OF THE BEST I've heard in 20 years...

Stick close to your sponsor, go to a lot of meetings, read the literature and no matter what happens, don't take that first drink. I hope that helped a little.

Again-Thanks but I did not start this thread as a request for personal Help/w drinking-but as a request for the methods OTHERS used to come to believe, which is different that "turn our will/lives over" (Step 3)--just want to hear people's STEP 2 stories, & yours is a great one.

"I haven't done drugs in 30 years & people still think I'm a ___ junkie" "It's just a long shadow one has to bear as a celeberity" Keef