Each of us finds our own way of living spiritually, and this allows us to make free choices about how we live.
Living Clean, Chapter 3, “A Spiritual, Not a Religious Program”
In all our literature, in gatherings, in the halls, over a coffee or tea, in late night phone calls, alone in a meditation or a prayer, we remember that NA is a spiritual program. Regardless of our personal beliefs or habits or methods or paths – regardless of whether they are social or religious or whether they do not fit into this binary – we cannot deny that spirituality is central to recovery in NA. Who we are spiritually and how we express this aspect of our individuality is unique to us, although we may use elements from all kinds of traditions or none at all. Many of us can – and want to – easily explain our relationship with a Higher Power. For many others, it is not understood through words. And it's something personal, something we prefer not to share in a specific way.
For NA members, the road to recovery is paved by the Twelve Steps, but the journey we choose is different. Our path to spiritual life is personal, although there is some similarity and mutual understanding that flows from the principles that appear throughout this book. The application of these principles is based on our individual needs and desires. We react differently to everyday circumstances - we see through our own lenses and react to events in our own ways. And the way we connect with the program – and its principles and spiritual nature – is often different when we're young, and when we're more comfortable in our own skin, or when we experience life's ups and downs and tragedies. . As we continue our journey of recovery, we find that the Steps prepare each of us to deal with the circumstances at hand.
It is important that there is reciprocity here as well, as described by one member: “You have your own spiritual expression and your own beliefs, and I have mine. The fact that I can be myself in NA reminds me that as you let me be me, I have to let you be you.”
My goal is to be open to this wide mosaic of spiritual expression that I find in NA. I will explore and cultivate my own beliefs as I apply the principles of our Steps.
