Endigar 350 ~ A World of the Spirit
From Today’s Daily Reflection;
We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 84)
The word “entered” . . . and the phrase “entered into the world of the Spirit” are very significant. They imply action, a beginning, getting into, a prerequisite to maintaining my spiritual growth, the “Spirit” being the immaterial part of me. Barriers to my spiritual growth are self-centeredness and a materialistic focus on worldly things. Spirituality means devotion to spiritual instead of worldly things, it means obedience to God’s will for me. I understand spiritual things to be: unconditional love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control and humility. Any time I allow selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and fear to be a part of me, I block out spiritual things. As I maintain my sobriety, growing spiritually becomes a lifelong process. My goal is spiritual growth, accepting that I’ll never have spiritual perfection.
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I believe it is important not to lose sight of the magical descriptions of sobriety. The “World of the Spirit” is one such description. We can move from the drudgery of abstinence to this mystical dimension called the World of the Spirit. That is the testimony of the founders of our fellowship.
As drinking was only a symptom of our disease and not its root, so these laundry lists of virtues are the fruit of our spiritual union with the Higher Power, and not an alternative focus to worldly things. Striving for perfection based on someone’s idea of good behavior leads to religious egotism and isolation. Perfection is unobtainable because it is destructive. The care of God offers a lifetime process, a continuous quest, and an unending adventure. Perfectionism is a fruit of fear, not faith. Faith is an intuitive knowledge based on trust in one’s cooperative union with a Higher Power. It grows as you build a track record of personal manifestation and power.
The obstacles to the spiritual growth of sobriety are isolated and distrustful selfishness (self-centeredness) and the powerlessness of being caged in a worldly focus.
“What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind . . . we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 86)
Daily Reprieve 
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