Many of us use spiritual principles as a force greater than ourselves.
It works, Step Two
When we come to NA, we all have different experiences with religion and faith. Some of us grew up in very religious families, regularly going to a mosque, temple or church, while others grew up in secular homes without much contact with religion or spiritual matters. One member shared: “My parents were both scientists and atheists. In my family, exploring spirituality made me more of a rebel than using drugs." We may show up at our first meeting with an attitude of intolerance toward all things spiritual, thinking that ideas like "faith" are pure nonsense. Some of us may have rejected the idea of spiritual principles because we associated them with the religion of our childhood that failed to protect us from addiction. We either came to NA with an open mind, willing to try something new – or desperate to find something that would work for us.
Regardless of our previous experience with spiritual or religious matters, we all have work to do when we get here. We all need to learn to live with principles. At first glance, it might seem that belief in a Higher Power should be easier for those of us who grew up with strong beliefs about what that Higher Power is. In fact, the ability to act in faith may have little to do with our beliefs – secular or religious. Part of acting in faith is giving up the illusion of control. Whether we want to admit it or not, every principle discussed in this meditation book is a force beyond our control. We can allow the power of authority to guide us, or we can struggle to use our own power to control our lives.
The Second Step does not say: "We have come to believe in a Power greater than ourselves," it says: "We have come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could bring us back to reason." It doesn't really matter if we understand the how or the why - we consistently get better results by acting on principles than by our own free will. As we experience the results of living according to spiritual principles, we come to believe that reason—peace of mind and connection with ourselves and others—is possible for us.
There are countless forces in life that I may never fully understand. I will trust spiritual principles because I know they work, even if I don't always know how or why.
