Skip to main content

A Spiritual Axiom

A SPIRITUAL AXIOM
It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us.
— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 90
I never truly understood the Tenth Step's spiritual axiom until I had the following experience. I was sitting in my bedroom, reading into the wee hours, when suddenly I heard my dogs barking in the back yard. My neighbors frown on this kind of disturbance so, with mixed feelings of anger and shame, as well as fear of my neighbors' disapproval, I immediately called in my dogs. Several weeks later the exact situation repeated itself but this time, because I was feeling more at peace with myself, I was able to accept the situation—dogs will bark—and I calmly called in the dogs. Both incidents taught me that when a person experiences nearly identical events and reacts two different ways, then it is not the event which is of prime importance, but the person's spiritual condition. Feelings come from inside,not from outward circumstances. When my spiritual condition is positive, I react positively.
I had this exact conversation yesterday with my son.  We were driving around running errands, and I noticed myself letting other drivers in from the side roads. I told him I can always tell when I'm content and connected with God because I'm patient and look for little ways to be nice and courteous to strangers. When I'm off, I get impatient and try to keep people from "getting in my way".  Its is a clear indicator that I'm self-serving and following my own will and my own self interests. The circumstances of driving never change - only my spiritual condition changes and therefore my response to all my brothers and sisters on the road.
We then started talking about how happiness is very much the same. Some people base their happiness on how they choose to respond to the world around them. It is a moment to moment, prayerful decision.  Others base their happiness on getting what they want; either getting material possessions, or getting other to DO what they want.  That is a recipe for disaster for anyone, but it is a road to total destruction for the alcoholic.
I'm still praying to be the man who chooses courtesy and kindness, who chooses to base my happiness on how well I treat others and respond to the things I can't control. Prayer by prayer, choice by choice, I am slowly getting there.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 14, 2017 at 8:50 AM

    Excellent post my friend! That is extremely insightful and I am glad that you were able to reflect on the fact that the situation itself did not change but rather the only change was you current spiritual condition. I believe it is for this reason that our organization'S founding fathers stated, "we are granted a daily reprieve from alcoholism contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition."

    During my time in the program, it is saddening to see the alcoholic whose life begins to return to normalcy without much work on their part. Why? Because yes things are better in their life while they are not drinking, the only way to KEEP from not drinking is to grow our spiritual condition. I thank God for my adequate bottom because I know this is a progressive disease, but the pain I experienced in my bottom is seared into my memory and because of that I am deathly afraid of resting on my laurels. I get tempted to say, "well, I've been sober for 3.5 years, it's not going to hurt me to miss a meeting. Besides, I have had a lot going on and I deserve a night to just relax. I do for everybody else, but what do I do for me?" This, my friend, is my CUNNING disease. It tries to trick me into not going to this "one" meeting, but when u started this program and I agreed to go to ANY lengths to get sober I promised my sponsor that I would attend my committed meetings! If I miss my committed meeting, I am changing the promise I made with my higher power mid-game. Yes, there will be instances where I need to miss a committed meeting because of illness or some other serious matter, but other than that I must be there!

    I'll never forget going to a Monday meeting that I was supposed to chair. The person who unlocks the door did not show so we had no formal room to have a meeting. What did I do? I took the few alcoholicS who had shown up to the meeting and we held the meeting outside, without any readings to open the meeting or any formalities. I carried the message to the alcoholics who still suffer. What if I had said, "well, surely someone else will be there tonight to cover for me if I can't chair." Would the meeting still have happened? I do not know, but what I do know is that because I was there an I carried the message everyone in attendance stayed sober for another hour out of the day, and in talking with the still sufferin alcoholic, my spiritual condition grew.

    This is my program of ACTION.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Living Without Fear

I've been dealing with a string of injuries and find myself still smiling, still striving, and still looking for ways to be of maximum service to everyone I encounter. I just got results back on an MRI and was told I have a somewhat common degenerative condition in my neck.  For the last couple of months, my right arm has been weak and my index finger and thumb numb. The numbness is growing and now my arm has a persistent feeling of pins and needles. The unusual thing is that I'm about 20 years too young to experience this. If left untreated, the condition could cost me the use of both arms or worse.  I'm seeing a specialist on 11/30 to determine the best treatment options. The way I see it, it is yet another chance to demonstrate that my body is simply an extension of my spirit. My strength is not flesh and bone, but faith and God's daily gift of grace.  Each day is an opportunity to practice my submission of self-will and reliance on His will. Each day is an oppor...
1 comment
Read more

What Kind of Ripples Will you Make?

My kids talk about karma. I talk about grace, the Holy Spirit, and about life-giving words. I have heard people talk about vibrations and energy.  It probably doesn't matter how you contextualize the concept - the truth remains that our existence impacts others. Our actions, words, and even thoughts carry out and resonate with others long after we've forgotten what we did or said. Lately, when I pray I see images or have thoughts of ripples. This isn't some grand revelation, but just a reminder that my thoughts, words, and actions impact far beyond what I can see. I think of my words or actions as a rock, the pond is my community, and the water's surface as a point in time. Long after the rock passes through the water's surface, the ripples are still traveling outward, still impacting others in the pond. I'm not special in this way. I believe we are all impacting each other. The question for me is what kind of ripples do I want to make? Do I want to encourag...
Post a Comment
Read more

Daily Reflection: Serenity After The Storm

SERENITY AFTER THE STORM Someone who knew what he was talking about once remarked that pain was the touchstone of all spiritual progress. How heartily we A.A.'s can agree with him. . . . — TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 93-94 When on the roller coaster of emotional turmoil, I remember that growth is often painful. My evolution in the A.A. program has taught me that I must experience the inner change, however painful, that eventually guides me from selfishness to selflessness. If I am to have serenity, I must STEP my way past emotional turmoil and its subsequent hangover, and be grateful for continuing spiritual progress. Stasis.  That's what my drinking was all about.  Life is ever changing, and i used to hate that.  Since we have absolutely no control over our surroundings, we can't prevent change.  I drank because I wanted to numb all my feelings about the things going on in my life.  I didn't want to face my part in a second divorce, in my...
1 comment
Read more