There Are Many Paths To Spirituality

From Each Day A New Beginning, November 28:

“’The idea of God is different in every person.  The joy of my recovery was to find God within me.’ ~Angela Wozniak

Coming to believe in a greater power brings such relief to us in our daily struggles. And on occasion we still fight for control to be all-powerful ourselves, only to realize that the barriers we confront are of our own making…The program’s greatest gift to us is relief from anxiety, the anxiety that so often turned us to booze, or pills, or candy. Relief is felt every time we let go of the problem that’s entrapped us and wait for the comfort and guidance God guarantees.”

 

 

My program of recovery is not based on any organized religion. I was raised in a church, but my concept of God was childlike—a vision of Santa Claus to give me what I asked for. I lacked the maturity and discipline it takes to develop faith and hold on to it.

When I started to read the literature and use the tools available, I entered into uncharted territory where I was asked to let go of my grip on circumstances and allow someone else to take over. Many people think of “God” as that other force, but just as many others focus on nature or the recovery fellowship found at meetings.

The point is, my isolation is over and I am now partnering with a Being who is all-loving and all-powerful. I have learned to surrender to His will and put my faith in Him. This is the spirituality I speak of, and my path is only one of many out there.

Acceptance of what is, and nurturing my faith that all things are unfolding as they are meant to, have given me a sense of peace and serenity that I had never known before. When I’m willing to take myself out of the driver’s seat and surrender to God’s will, I feel free and able to move forward with my life.

 

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” ~Soren Kierkegaard

 

 

 

2 thoughts on “There Are Many Paths To Spirituality

  1. Hello Marilea,
    My name is Jos and I am slap dunk in the middle of reading Stepping Stones, a wonderfully relatable memoir. Much of our stories share common threads- upbringing, foreign lands and addictions/recovery. I listened to your interview on NAMW too.
    So glad I found your stories,
    Best,

    Jocelyn C.

    1. Hi Jos, and thanks for your response. It’s been a long road for me to recovery, that’s for sure. You must be a writer if you’re with NAMW, a good place to be. Linda Joy has coached many a writer to tell their story. And for me, just writing down my stories has been very good therapy. It’s wonderful to connect with others through my writing. Icing on the cake!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.