Oops, I Deleted God

I am serious, I deleted God today and it was rather disconcerting.

The image you see is God creating the moon, stars, and planets; a panel of Michelangelo’s famed Sistine Chapel masterpiece. I had saved the picture with the title of “God”, and then added it into the image database of my Drupal-powered blog. Realizing that I hadn’t properly sized the image, I went to correct the situation by pressing edit and then delete so that I could load one up properly sized.

I must say that after reading the above message, there was a little second guessing going on before I punched the delete button and started over.

Read more below the fold…

Now don’t worry, just as I try to stay away from politics as much as possible- I do the same with religion on this site. I believe faith is one of the most powerful tools one can have in recovery but I care not* to hear from those that would like to belittle or sing praise of their particular beliefs in excess. (*hint)

The reason I went after this particular image by Michelangelo in the first place was because even as a freestyle Buddhist, my wife is the professional ;), this is the mental image I get when I visualize a personified higher power. Absolutely classical. I am not looking to debate the place of faith and religion in recovery, but to reflect upon the potential block it can cause for those initially trying to establish any sustained sobriety. In traditional 12 step programs faith in a higher power is crucial, yet it can act also as a stumbling block.

We all know the alcoholics and addicts are the kings of rationalization and obfuscation. Proactive steps toward recovery are more often than not put off for the more alluring open-ended pursuits where failure is imminent. The quest for a high salary position, when one cannot keep a low paying job for more than a week… the search for well adjusted mate, conducted in all the wrong places… or the classic I will get sober once the situation has turned less stressful. So when speaking of open-ended pursuits where you can be fairly assured not to discover any concrete finality what immediately comes to mind? Well of course, the same thing man has been pondering since consciousness; is there a God?

This is not any great revelation to those familiar with twelve step programs, but it is an issue that is rarely handled with skill. I’ve heard to many times a version of the old “you can call the door knob your higher power”, but this sounds as bad as it looks on paper and is rarely convincing. I know that as I discover more about myself in recovery that I also develop greater faith in myself, spirituality, and overall purpose in life. So I have found that this is my greatest tool for explaining a higher power to those who struggle with the issue. Don’t worry about identifying a power as an object or personified deity, but instead think of it as something that will slowly grow to fill the void that we all feel as addicts and alcoholics. For it is the faith, not a particular form of religion of higher power, that is the driving force here. Knowing that there is something more to life than pain and suffering of addiction, that life can be worth living again in recovery, and that it is in recovery that we will find meaning and purpose to our time here on earth.

I may have deleted God today, but there is something better than a painting out there. All of us who are in recovery can and should serve as concrete examples for those newcomers searching for faith… that life is worth living and will get better