Its true…they are a gift from God 
ohh…beautiful Boots, so precious 
Heres my boy
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How are you now? Is your chemo finished?
The way I see it is this.
We often think that we are in control of our life.
We often think that we are directly responsible for all the good things that happen to us and all the bad things too.
The reality is, we actually have little control. Sure, we can influence things, but we don’t control.
For example: That job that I didn’t get, even though I nailed the interview; the decision to not offer me the job was out of my control. Many people may not feel that way or even consider it, but that is the higher power at work. Sort of like the collective consciousness of people and forces of the universe.
It’s less not taking responsibility and more relinquishing control.
Think about treading in the middle of the ocean. You can swim over here, you can swim over there, but the tide is gonna carry you where it’s gonna carry you. You can influence your position, but you cannot control where you end up, that ocean is the higher power. Puting your faith (relinquishing control) into it that makes it easier to accept the things we cannot change.
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Thank you, yes that all makes perfect sense, thank you for taking the time to reply, im going to let my higher power reveal itself fully im going to look into meditating etc try and connect but all this great information ive been gifted with from all you guys today has really set me in the right direction, i know that my higher power has been at work all along i just didnt understand that it was my higher power
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Beautifully written and perfect description. The serenity prayer is really what it’s all about for me.
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Oh my! He is a keeper for sure! All treatments are done including surgeries. Just taking some oral chemo and some PT for my arm and shoulder that had all the lymph nodes removed. I used all of my sobriety tools for getting thru cancer. Just accepted it, let others help me out and made the best of it with my great team of docs. It all went so smoothly.
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Been working a bit on my HP the past few months. Or Step 2.
I was raised fair weather very religious.
Then I fell completely away from it.
Then I came back to God about twenty years ago.
Now I’m struggling with higher power and or versus God.
I feel there is a God out there. And He/She has given me a lot of higher powers that have definitely restored me to sanity. Could be my cat. Could be my home group. Could be TS. Many times music and or nature are my higher power and they definitely restore me to sanity.
Now I’m “suppose” to believe in one certain God. I pretty much do and I find it very personal to me. I thank that God for giving me my higher powers and for all the blessings in my life. I also find myself getting farther and farther away from my religion. Sometimes I struggle with that. A lot.
I think I over think it a lot. I dare say, I think, maybe I’m wrong, that a lot of people over think it a lot.
I heard in my meeting awhile back how this person has learned to let God enter the room first and she follows. Now I have to admit I don’t do that. But it sounded kind of cool. Just the other day I found myself doing just that. I had no idea what I was walking into at my house when I came home the other day. ( we were having problems) I caught myself thinking. God. You first. I’m gonna wait here and breathe for a couple of seconds. Then I went in. I don’t really remember what happened that day. But I do remember I let God go in first. And I thought that was pretty cool.
Great topic.
I don’t know if I helped out or not. But I’ve been wanting to share that somewhere.
It’s kind of amazing how long recovery takes. I kind of just keep letting it happen.
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It definitely helped me and I’m very much the same. My HP is revealed in so many ways and forms, including you and this community! I do believe in God, but I’m not active in a church or organization, though I know there are good ones out there. I’m trying to unlearn what I was taught growing up. Takes some time. ODAAT.
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Wow, your an inspirational lady all youve been through and still on here helping me and so many others, im so happy to be on this journey with you, thank you for being you
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Ahh wonderful Eric i think maybe you might have been sent to me on here by the higher power…i remember messaging you not long after i got here because you made such a difference to me. Thank you for your post…ive done loads of thinking today and my interpretation now is this…ive always found wonder in the inexplainable…those little things that happen that your gut kind of tells you was meant to be but you cant explain why…i believe thats the higher power as i see it…someone once told me how they believed in angels and that the way they help you is through the power of thought and suggestion…they plant thoughts to steer us in the right direction…wether thats to benefit you or possibly someone else…i like this concept…i think the angels mentioned could possibly be the higher power just a different persons perception of it, i think there is 1 overall force but it influences us in different ways through different situations, thoughts, people etc, recently i cant shake the impulse to create something…it wont go away…i think thats the higher power coming through because it knows creating makes me happy
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Thanks Jenny.
I’d like to listen to Richard Rohr. I’ll check it out. It won’t be now or probably not soon. It’s so easy for me to get overwhelmed with readings and podcasts and Al-Anon etc…etc…etc… but this sounds awesome. I appreciate your share as well.
My Christian background is a bit different. I wasn’t really paying attention when I was young to that angry God. And Sunday school. Didn’t make sense. When I did come back I went Lutheran and the pastors wear amazing. They taught me about a loving God in Christianity. Not the scary guy. I really got into it.
Now with world events and people fighting or hating others in the name of religion has really turned me away again. But not completely. Just trying to find a balance that works for me. The last time I went to church was in Santa Monica. Gay pastor. Rainbow flag and they even had a sign out front honoring Ramadan. I was like WTF. St Paul’s Lutheran. I thought it was the coolest thing. That’s My idea of religion and respecting others.
Sorry Kelly I’m going off topic I think. But I know there’s many out there that struggle with God and Higher Power. Lack of or too much. It is a fantastic topic.
With that said. I came across this song on The Recovery Show. And I just loved it and her attitude.
In some higher power way I want to just let the mystery be.
I also found this episode on the recovery show very helpful about finding a higher power.
Lots of great post on this thread. I hope more join in.
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Ya. That’s God or HP doin his finest.
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It’s the thing that guides to your keys/something you’ve lost
The thing that synchronises small actions that turn out to be better than what you had planned in your mind
Turning it over means playing it by ear rather than trying to control the outcomes all the time
Something happens that is off what you planned, trying to keep to your plan ends up in a more difficult/time consuming but you still kept to your plan and ignored what the universe was giving you as the best alternative………
If next time the universe diverts you a little, take a leap of faith and go with it. You’ll be surprised that because you went for it the outcome turns out better than your plan 
Faith and fear are both unknowns so go with faith.
It’s about not constantly trying to control everything
And the invisible force that guides us in and towards mini miracles, smiles, laughter and never gives you more than you can handle
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Beautiful song
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For me, it’s a release. It’s acceptance that there are things that exist beyond my control and beyond my scope. I don’t have to know everything. I don’t have to understand everything. I accept there are things I can change and things I cannot. I accept my life is mine alone but i also belong to other people who love me. I am one part of a bigger picture. I give myself cover to my power and powerlessness and try one day at a time to color my part of the picture in valuable ways centered in love for myself and others. I try to take pride in the marks I leave. I hope my colors bleed into other parts of the picture In beautiful ways.
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@Starlight14 I have nothing helpful to contribute to your question but I want to thank you for bringing this up because I was literally struggling with this question earlier today but I could not think of how to put it into words! These answers are amazing and extremely helpful to my journey as well and show great strength retrieved from everyone’s higher powers and from within! I know this helped clarify my confusion a bit, I hope you’re also feeling better about this @Starlight14!
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Higher Power is a concept of the Alcoholics Anonymous Program. It is most often associated with a Christian Faith and belief in the Diety of Jesus Christ. This element of Alcoholics Anonymous causes a lot of controversy especially for those who are not Christian. There are people who participate in Alcoholics Anonymous who identify with a higher power this is not Christian in nature. The many personal experiences about this are posted above.
My personal feeling on the topic is that although I acknowledge Christianity and believe that Faith is a great weapon against addiction people lose themselves in this whole topic and controversy about it. Our sobriety is our own personal journey based on our desire to be sober and willingness to take personal responsibility for it. Abuse of alcohol is a sin that through sobriety I have personally repented of.
Some people on this app have posted more about how this concept of AA offends them than they have actually posted offering support to others…
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One thing that helps me is to differentiate between pushing and calling forces in our lives. Urges, cravings, habits, basically anything to do with the human/animal condition i put in the pushing force category. Higher functions like understanding, temperance, non egocentric considerations and ethics are more calling voices. In general its much easier to ignore the call than the push, and the call takes refinements the push doesn’t, but with the trust of our higher priciples we can gain truer autonomy and navigate life’s waters more skillfully. Whether youre a buddhist type like i currently am or a christian/jew/muslin/ect the belief comes with it a standard of living so even if divine intervention is occuring the work part is up to us. To have the strength to endure the push like one standing in the waves is work, but to trust when its time to leave the waters comes down to a leap of faith. I know there are bigger systems at work than my experiences and knowledge allows me to account for (despite what my pride says), so tuning my heart and mind towards that higher reality helps my inuition feel that storm is coming and i should get out of the water. No amount of strength could save me if i don’t and i still have to choose and act so im not passing the buck.
Its a hard topic with much wisdom already shared. I hope this perspective helps.
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Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply to my question its been great reading everyones different yet similar often beautiful interpretations of the higher power, i definately feel im starting to realise what my interpretation is. As @Spierce kindly pointed out the beauty of this site is you can ask a question, get great advice not only for yourself but for everyone else who chooses to read it and that makes my heart happy, my love to you all
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Love this. I failed to mention earlier that I rely on multiple “faiths and traditions” for my spiritual health. I would identify as a Christian, though I read a lot of Buddhist literature and principles that greatly shape my higher power and specifically how I connect with it.
This has been a fantastic thread. I’ve really appreciated hearing others experiences and concepts of their HP. For me it just solidifies how connect we truly are.
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