“If we have negative associations with the terms ‘God’ or ‘Higher Power,’ we are free to use whatever word or words are acceptable to us.”

– Life with Hope, second edition, page 56

For years in recovery, I struggled with the concept of “God” or “Higher Power” because I could never conceive of God as a loving father/mother/friend. God, as I understood God, was all-encompassing; in each and every one of us and in all things, living and inanimate. God was in every emotion, instinct and passion—in love, justice and morality. How could I think of God as someone I could talk to? It was not until I could accept the limitations and imperfection of language to describe my understanding of God, and to accept that language is all I have to describe it.

I could use the words God or Higher Power as a convenient shorthand and smile at its oversimplification. Although it took me many years, once I stopped getting tripped up on the words God or Higher Power, I was finally able to use prayer and meditation to establish a conscious contact with God as I understand God.

Final thought: For today, I will not allow life’s imperfections to keep me from obtaining all of the gifts this program has to offer.