STEP 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
How It
Works
When,
therefore, we speak to you of
God, we mean your own conception
of God. This applies, too, to
other spiritual expressions
which you find in this book. Do
not let any prejudice you may
have against spiritual terms
deter you from honestly asking
yourself what they mean to you.
At the start, this was all we
needed to commence spiritual
growth, to effect our first
conscious relation with God as
we understood Him. Afterward, we
found ourselves accepting many
things which then seemed
entirely out of reach. That was
growth, but if we wished to grow
we had to begin somewhere. So we
used our own conception, however
limited it was. We needed to ask
ourselves but one short
question. - "Do I now believe,
or am I even willing to believe,
that there is a Power greater
than myself?" As soon as a man
can say that he does believe, or
is willing to believe, we
emphatically assure him that he
is on his way. It has been
repeatedly proven among us that
upon this simple cornerstone a
wonderfully effective spiritual
structure can be built.
--A.A. Big
Book p.47
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Therefore,
Step Two is the rallying point
for all of us. Whether agnostic,
atheist, or former believer, we
can stand together on this Step.
True humility and an open mind
can lead us to faith, and every
A.A. meeting is an assurance
that God will restore us to
sanity if we rightly relate
ourselves to Him.
- Twelve
Steps and Twelve Traditions, p.
33
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Through
believing that a Higher Power
can help, a man or a woman
formerly eaten up with raging
fear, anger, shame, doubt,
guilt, and frustration may
become calm and begin to grow
spiritually by focusing on doing
some simple steps, going to
meetings, reading the Big Book,
and talking to a sponsor. This
person is not alone; there are
other caring brothers and
sisters who really do understand
because they are dealing with
the same problems the newcomer
has. The simple act of believing
that a Higher Power can restore
us to sanity leads us into a
family and into a new life where
we can begin to see and
experience a little sanity.
- A Hunger
for Healing, p. 35
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The
process of coming to believe is
something that we seem to
experience in similar ways. One
thing most of us lacked was a
working relationship with a
Higher Power. We begin to
develop this relationship by
simply admitting to the
possibility of a Power greater
than ourselves. Most of us have
no trouble admitting that
addiction had become a
destructive force in our lives.
Our best efforts resulted in
ever greater destruction and
despair. At some point we
realized we needed the help of
some Power greater than our
addiction. Our understanding of
a Higher Power is up to us. No
one is going to decide for us.
We can call it the group, the
program, or we can call it God.
The only suggested guidelines
are that this Power be loving,
caring and greater than
ourselves. We don't have to be
religious to accept this idea.
The point is that we open our
minds to believe. We may have
difficulty with this, but by
keeping an open mind, sooner or
later, we find the help we need.
-
Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text,
Chapter 4/Step 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Step 2
phrase "came to believe"
suggests a process and a
progression of faith that
evolves over time. A portion of
A.A.'s oral tradition defines
this as a three-part unfolding:
First, we came, that is, we
showed up and stumbled in the
door. Second, we came to, that
is, we sobered up, came to our
senses, and began to experience
emotional sobriety. Third, we
came to believe. We began our
real recovery process and our
spiritual growth.
-
Serenity, A Companion for Twelve
Step Recovery, p. 29
Main
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Step8 Step9
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