Thursday, April 08, 2010

He loves you ya, ya, ya...

Prior to my jr high CCD class last nite, I spent some time with the Lord in front of the Tabernacle at church. I simply sat, prayed a few personal petitions for some things that had been on my mind, for a few folks who are going through a tough time. I listened for a bit and tried to quiet my mind, it's been racing a lot lately. That's what my mind does if I don't make myelf sit and get quiet on a daily basis. I lose mental discipline and my mind gets lazy, running here and there unsupervised, causing all sorts of unrest.

We did a lesson on true happiness and joy last night with the kids. We went through the Beatitudes (Christ's teachings in his "Sermon on the Mount" Matthew 5:1-12) and it turns out the Beatitudes are not a rock band from Liverpool, England. They are Christ's formula for happiness, peace and everlasting life. As we weorked through these last nite, I started to see our program embedded within these principles. So, I thought maybe I'd list them and draw comparisons to the principles in AA. Here's a quick summary of the behaviours and character qualities Christ suggests we develop in order to find true peace and happiness now and hereafter, and where we might find them in our spiritual program of action:

Poor in spirit: dependence on God rather than on things; the belief that helping others is more important than acquiring things... (in AA we say: Trust God... Steps 2 and 12)

Those who mourn: awareness of the suffering of others and willingness to walk with them in their grief... (in AA we say: Help others... Step 12)

The meek: humility, patience, and gentleness with self and others; using one's strength for the good of others... (in AA: Steps 6 and 7)

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: desiring to do God's Will above all else... (In AA we say: Trust God... Steps 3 and 11)

The merciful: forgiving others from the heart; refusing to hold a grudge; seeking God's forgiveness and the forgivenss of those hurt or harmed... (In AA we say: Clean House... Steps 8 and 9)

The pure in heart: recognition of God's image in self and others; treating others with reverence... (In AA we say: Clean House... Steps 4, 5 and 10)

The peacemakers: living peacefully with others, seeking reconciliation; and promoting peace... (In AA: Steps 10 and 12)

Those who are persecuted: making a stand for what one believes in, even when emotional and physical pain may result... (In AA we get sober for ourselves: Steps 1 admittance/acceptance and 12 practicing these principles; Traditions 3 a desire to stop drinking, 5 primary purpose, and 12 anonymity)

3 comments:

drybottomgirl said...

Excellent post! Thank you.

Syd said...

Thanks for these. Nice comparisons.

lash505 said...

Very nice my man.. Its good to see your still blogging.. I am working to hard.