Does Spirituality Have Anything To Do With Serenity
For me it does
Just what is meant by Spirituality and Serenity?
The Oxford Languages Dictionary defines Spirituality as “the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.”
Webster's Dictionary defines Serenity as “marked by or suggestive of utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude.”
I remember when I was very new to the program of AA and white-knuckling it people saying “This too shall pass.” I wanted to pass 5 across their lips.
If you are new to the program, are you still struggling mentally with the concepts you hear here or do you have, as Webster says, “utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude?”
If you have been in the program awhile and still sometimes struggle, it may be because you believe are always right and want everyone else to think and believe as you do?
Or are you Happy, Joyous, and Free, letting others do whatever they wish without your masterful comment? I choose Serenity and do my own thing, as long as it harms no one else.
How can I achieve peace of mind or serenity? I dive head first into the 3rd Step and turn my will and life over to my Higher Power, who I choose now to call God, and just go on with my life.
Early in my program, I saw how doing this was working great for those who actually practiced it. I wanted it, too, so I took it for my own. I started to receive the benefits almost immediately.
The more that I practiced turning it over, the easier it became to actually feel peace coming over me. It is as simple as that.
However, it is not always easy! To most of us, driving a car is simple. But, think back to before you ever drove, there was a lot to learn so it was surely not easy.
As you learned and practiced more, it became the simple act that it is today. The AA Program, which is a spiritual program not a religious program, and the Serenity that comes along with working it, are a lot like learning to drive a car.
What do you really want from your life on this earth? Constant conflict and war with others or peace and serenity and being able to love and, just as important, being able to be loved by others?
If others around you are so unhappy in their own lives that they do their best to keep you agitated, maybe it is time to rethink how much you want them to remain in your life.
Do you leave your waste and garbage lying around your house until it contaminates everything around it or do you dispose of it so that your house can stay clean and healthy?
This is exactly what led to my divorce two years after coming into AA. Since then, I have had a life that a rich man can not buy! It all started and continues to this day with the shortened version of the 3rd Step, “God, Help Me!”
Guess what, He does! And I am truly too blessed to be stressed because of it.
When I came into the AA Program, I was a very large, very angry, very violent, well-armed man who was liked and loved by very few, if any. My children feared me, my wife wanted me dead, literally. My fellow employees wanted me elsewhere. Anywhere but near them.
My bosses had me transferred all over the City of Detroit. If the change for the better can happen in and to me, I believe that it can in anyone who is willing to go to any lengths to get it.
Try it and please get back to me and tell me how it worked for you. I really want to know! It all starts with “God, Help Me!” Then getting out of His way and letting Him.
Don’t be afraid of living. Be happy with the fact that you can now truly live and enjoy life.
If you didn’t drink or do drugs today, you now have choices, maybe for the first time. Do you choose to be miserable or do you choose to be Happy, Joyous, and Free? The choice is yours and nobody else’s. Choose wisely!
Thank you, God!
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More from the list: “Curated Collection V10 — ILLUMINATION”
Curated by Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
