OUR CONSCIOUS CONTACT

The purpose of the 12 step process of enlightenment is to provide a path for establishing “a conscious contact with God” as a result of following a course of action.
A key aspect of this path is tolerance, for “We believe the realm of Heaven is roomy, all inclusive, never exclusive or forbidding.” Most who walk this path did not come to it out of virtue or a sincere desire to grow and change, but out of pain and suffering. They had reached a jumping off place, no longer willing to go on as they were, they were faced with the proposition of going on to the bitter end, blotting out the pain of existence any way they could or accept an entirely new way of life. Not easy alternatives to face. Ever been to skid row? If not, find a friend or two and go in the late afternoon or early evening. Though by no means all, many of those souls have taken the path of oblivion through drink and drugs. Ever been to an AA meeting? If not, call your area central office, they are in the book, and ask for the location of an open speakers meeting. You probably won’t identify with the speakers, but that is not the point of the trip. Look around the room; these are the same people you saw on skid row. The difference being they choose the road less traveled and have chosen to pursue a conscious contact with God.

The process of living embodied in the 12 steps requires work, commitment and a willingness few but the dying have. Many sadly will stumble, fear winning over faith. Skid row is the destination for a miniscule percentage of those lost to the disease of addiction, but like the tip of the iceberg, it is the part readily visible. Most who suffer do so behind closed doors for in truth “silk sheets or city streets, Park Avenue or park bench, we do not change until we surrender.” Surrender to what? A Power Greater Than Ourselves.

Skid row may be a physical destination in virtually every town or city, but the skid row of the mind can and does exist in even the most opulent locales. Without a conscious contact with God, what is the ultimate purpose of life? He who dies with the most toys still dies. The billionaire and the baker, freshly washed and cleaned, laid out side by side in death are equal in their possessions in the moment. The measure of a life, at the final tally, is not the love received, but that which was given away without strings or expectation. Look to your heart, have you surrendered? Are you willing to go to any lengths for a spiritual awakening? Seek first the Kingdom, and seek it within.