The pain of spiritual growth can feel like depression. A “dark night of the soul” can be frightening and lonely. But what is happening on the inside is often the process that will bring us into the light. Sometimes there’s just bad weather in our heads and we simply need to wait it out. Hanging on, suiting up, showing up, and sharing openly with our sponsor and other members we trust is sometimes all we can do while it passes. We talk about “the process” and are told to trust in it, but we don’t always know what “the process” is. We may be very confused by where it seems to be taking us. If we focus on putting our faith into action, we can come through difficulty with new understanding and awareness. This kind of crisis can be frightening in its intensity, and sometimes it seems we can only distinguish it from another kind of struggle in retrospect. Intense as it is, it is temporary, and relieved by breakthrough or by an obstinate willfulness to hang on until the crisis passes. “We undergo a vital spiritual experience and are changed,” says the Basic Text. We can be restored to sanity and live happy and productive lives. But it may not be safe or sensible to wait to find out what kind of crisis we’re having before we seek help. We may need new tools to continue to build our house; it doesn’t mean we are abandoning the work we have done or betraying our commitment if we sometimes go looking for them elsewhere. Living Clean pg. 112
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 02:23:30 +0000
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