Topic of the week [1/27/14] Freedom

[BW]

WHAT IS FREEDOM?

The promises on pages 83-84 state "We are going to know a new freedom..."

When I follow the steps as they are outlined; the 9th step promises come "before I am halfway thru" the process of making amends. That means I have cleaned out the closet of skeletons & the secrets, the guilt and the shame that isolated me. As I reflect on freedom today I realize there is freedom from those things and there is freedom to...Freedom from the slavery of my addictions which included but is not limited to dependence on people, fear of people, fear of commitment, fear of abandonment, fear of failure or of success, no sense of belonging etc, etc...

Then once I empty the closet of those things I experience a filling up of new blessings of freedoms...the freedom to choose, to be myself, to have my own beliefs, my own opinions, to experience peace, to have healthy boundaries, to love and to be loved, to choose to change and grow spiritually.

As I grow in this new freedom to I realize there is a price..it does not come freely. It comes with an awesome responsibility. One example is "freedom of speech" is not totally free...it means I get to learn respect for others. I do not always get to say everything that pops into my mind..I learn to say what I mean, mean what I say, I do not say it mean. Honesty without love is brutality. I can be honest with my fellow brothers and sisters and come from a loving gentle place.

Please share with us your understanding and experience on FREEDOM on this journey of recovery

[Lin]

We don't have the promises in alanon that tell us we will have a new freedom. But I can also relate that just working the steps, using the tools, finding acceptance, learning to rely on my HP and letting go of my need to control...has really given me a new FREEDOM. It allows me to take care of myself and let others keep their side of the street clean (or not).

LIN

[majestyjo]

The Al-Anon Promises

From Survival to Recovery? (page 269)



"If we willingly surrender ourselves to the spiritual discipline of the

Twelve Steps, our lives will be transformed. We will become

mature, responsible individuals with a great capacity for joy,

fulfillment, and wonder.



Though we may never be perfect, continued spiritual progress

will reveal to us our enormous potential. We will discover that we

are both worthy of love and loving. We will love others without

losing ourselves, and will learn to accept love in return.



Our sight, once clouded and confused, will clear and we will be

able to perceive reality and recognize truth.



Courage and fellowship will replace fear.



We will be able to risk failure to develop new, hidden talents.



Our lives, no matter how battered and degraded, will yield hope

to share with others.



We will begin to feel and will come to know the vastness of our

emotions, but we will not be slaves to them.



Our secrets will no longer bind us in shame.



As we gain the ability to forgive ourselves, our families, and the

world, our choices will expand.



With dignity we will stand for ourselves, but not against our fellows.



Serenity and peace will have meaning for us as we allow our lives

and the lives of those we love to flow day by day with God?s ease,

balance, and grace.



No longer terrified, we will discover we are free to delight in life?s

paradox, mystery, and awe.



We will laugh more.



Fear will be replaced by faith, and gratitude will come naturally as

we realize that our Higher Power is doing for us what we cannot

do for ourselves."





From 'From Survival to Recovery', page 269,

copyright 1994 by Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.;

limited use by express written permission of Al-Anon Family

[majestyjo]

Father, do not let us shut ourselves off from others, but may the windows of our hearts and minds be open, so that we may be made new by your Holy Spirit and be influenced for good. Inspire us, too, to let our light shine out, knowing that Jesus said that we are the light of the world. Amen.

Isolation is part of my disease, not a tool of my recovery.



I didn't know Al-Anon had promises until I had been in the rooms for several 24 hours. I fell in love with the ones in the Big Book yet in reality, AA promises so much more, before you get the the ones on page 83.



A better way of life is promised when I practice the 12 Steps, no matter what fellowship I belong to. I am always reminded of the Al-Anon slogan, "Let it begin with me."