When initially encountering a program of recovery, many people balk. The reasons for their hesitation are numerous and varied, but often they focus on the spiritual aspects of recovery. Do I have to believe in God? they ask. What kind of God are you talking about? I have a lot of trouble with the God thing, so do I have listen to this stuff? Is the program about religion? What is prayer anyway? What is the point of praying?
Those experienced in recovery, of course, reassure newcomers by explaining to them the difference between religion and spirituality. Religion, we tell them, is about theology and what we believe. Spirituality, on the other hand, is about who we are and how we live. We go on to explain that a successful program of recovery should be about relationships: relationships with God as we understand God, a relationship with ourselves, relationships with each other, and relationships with the world around us.
By focusing on right relationships as a foundational part of our recovery, we tell them about connecting with principles, spiritual in nature, which will guide us in our recovery. And we finish by saying that one of the best ways to connect with our spiritual natures, or with our higher power or with our Ground of Being or with our Essence or with God, is to pray.
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