Our  spirituality is derived from a belief that the God of our understanding, or  Power greater than ourselves can restore each of us to sanity. And once we have made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God as we understood God, we will find that it is one of the most important  decisions we will ever make in our lives. I know this for a fact personally.

In the following paragraphs, Bill W., co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous provides us with some of his lived out experiences with having discovered the God of his understanding.

“Mine was exactly the kind of deep-seated block we so often see today in new people who say they are atheistic or agnostic. Their will to disbelieve is so powerful that apparently they prefer a date with the undertaker to an open minded and experimental quest for God.

Happily for me, and for most of my kind who have since come along in AA., (and now Depressed Anonymous) the constructive forces brought to bear in our Fellowship have nearly always overcome the colossal obstinacy. Beaten into complete defeat by alcohol, (or depression) , confronted by the  living proof of release, and surrounded by those who can speak to us from the heart, we have finally surrendered.

And then, paradoxically, we have found ourselves in a new dimension, the real works of spirit and faith. Enough willingness, enough open-mindedness — and there it is!”

Bill W., makes this comment in Alcoholics Anonymous:

“We have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by which faith can be acquired. All of us, whatever our race, creed, or color, are the children of a living Creator, with whom we may form a relationship upon simple, and understandable terms as soon  as we are willing and honest enough to try.”

SOURCE: As Bill Sees it. Pages 174-175.

“I believe that because so many sights, sounds and situations have been connected with sad feelings in my early years that today these same sights, smells and sounds trigger the same feeling in me today. It is automatic.  I have learned that over time and with  working one’s recovery program that one’s sad feelings become less and less and one’s more pleasant feelings begin to dominate.” Copyright. (c)  Higher Thoughts for down days. May 11.

Comment

I remember so well the painful feelings that accompanied my descent into that bottomless pit which we call depression. The frightening and unstoppable descent with all its pain and anxiety continued to work its paralyzing effect on my whole body. There seemed to be nothing that I could do to eradicate these feelings of “jitteriness” and anxiety. Even though there are no  such feelings as bad or good, these feelings have energy which  can produce  unpleasant or pleasant emotions. Feelings are produced by our thoughts, either conscious or unconscious, and these feelings  produce moods, which gradually effect our behaviors. So, in my own time of being depressed, what was once  my active life, suddenly turned sullen and static. I could no longer force myself to get out of bed a morning  and it was all I could do to force myself to get up and moving.

My thinking was totally barren of hope. It was gradually apparent to me that I had better do something soon, if I was to survive. It was then that I forced myself to get up, get out of bed and initiate  a walking program.  What once was no big deal in my life, namely walking, now served as the way out of my depression. In time my feelings changed from that persistent and  painful hollowness and jitteriness, to those of an inner calmness and serenity. And my thinking, now anchored by hope and a walking program that  was producing its’ positive effect with  pleasant feelings, once a normal part of my life now retuned.  I  have remained depression free ever since that time which now has reached more than thirty years. For that I am grateful to the program of Depressed Anonymous and my daily living out the  spiritual principles of 12 Step recovery.

SOURCES:    Believing is seeing: 15 ways to leave the prison of depression.

Depressed Anonymous, 3rd edition.

I’ll do it when I feel better.

Higher Thoughts for down days.

    Depressed Once -Not twice. An autobiography of the  spiritual journey out of depression.

 VISIT THE STORE  here  at our website to order these and more publications    from Depressed Anonymous Publications.

“But don’t expect that one psychologist can tell you just what the trick is to get out of being depressed. There is no trick, just hard work.”

CLARIFICATION OF THOUGHT

The first three steps of the Twelve Steps  are about faith and the remaining nine Steps are all about action. One has to have faith that there is truly something bigger in this world than one’s own depression and one’s perspective.  I formerly used to believe that I was stuck forever in these moods where I just didn’t want to live anymore. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired with these feelings of despair. But now my program is a spiritual one and the spiritual way is the way out of my depression.

If I truly want to be free of my fears and anxieties, I will have to have  faith that the God of my understanding is not going to let me down.

My energies and commitment used to be directed toward finding ways to live always with the predictable and secure feelings that my sadness provide.  I am working another program, one which will help me find a way to live a life filled with serenity and hope.

MEDITATION

God, help us know your will so that we may start today filled with hope.

SOURCE:  Copyright(c) Higher Thoughts for Down Days: 365 daily thoughts and meditations for members of 12 Step Fellowship groups.  (1993, 1999)  Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville.