I have written many times,
including last week, about the transformative power of simple acceptance. For
me, acceptance is a more meaningful word than “love,” which is so often
overused and overworked that it has become almost meaningless for me.
I have also written about how my
recovery from alcoholic behavior and the disease of alcoholism occurred within
the rooms of AA – primarily because I fully felt, on a visceral level, that I
was truly accepted for who I really was. It was the first time in my life I had
really experienced that feeling of freedom of not trying to pretend who I was
or figuring out the group dynamics so I could blend in without revealing what I
thought was the real me. It led me to an understanding of spirituality that
went far beyond comprehending the dogma of religion. That palpable acceptance,
and its resulting sense of honest hopefulness, transformed my life.
As critical as that was however,
it wasn’t just that people in the
fellowship of AA accepted me. It was also that I began accepting me as well. I
was told I was only as sick as my secrets. So,
I had to trust the acceptance I was receiving in order to openly discuss
internal secrets I had been hiding – some of which I had hidden from myself.
As I slowly began unraveling my secrets, my compulsion to drink disappeared and
I fully began what has become my lifelong transformation from a rule-based,
dogma-based religion to an inclusive sense of spirituality – namely that I am
no different than anyone else – including Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Humanists
and Fundamentalist Christians.
As I stated last week [Msg-1-Oct-2015; “I Want What I Want And I
Want It Right Now!”], the only truly “real” thing about me is my spirit and
my loving thoughts as I accept people for who they are. These things are real
because they are as God created and the only real things out there are those
created by God. My ego – which I call Felix – just doesn’t count.
My spirit, my loving thoughts
and my acceptance of all people I meet are the only things that are true. I
need to forgive myself for projecting Felix’s reality on people and for
creating those projections I have made and am treating as reality. That
forgiveness, itself, is an act of love and acceptance – both of myself and of
others. That makes it “really” real and true as well.
My loving, accepting thougths.
My acts of forgiveness. These are all I can do within the Truth of God.
For those of you who may still
wonder what it is I mean when I discuss the transformative power of acceptance,
you may want to “see” an image of what acceptance looks like. If so, I strongly
suggest you buy, rent, or download the movie The Road Within. I saw it this week as a feature of the Cumberland
County Film Society.
The Road Within is a 2014 American film written and directed by
Gren Wells and is a "road movie" where the characters interact and
change in the course of their journey. However,
in this road movie, each of the characters is very flawed. Each has a severe
psychological malady that he/she must deal with: one with Anorexia, one with an Obsessive/Compulsive
Disorder (OCD), and one with Tourette’s syndrome. The film has won several awards at film
festivals. It depicts how the power of acceptance actually heals – themselves
as individuals and collectively as a trio of very disturbed, but very human, beings. Be aware that, since
Tourette’s is noted for outbursts of inappropriate and disturbing language,
there is a lot of swearing and profanity. But the movie also portrays a lot of
compassion and belly-laugh humor.
Find it. Get it. Borrow it. Download
it. It is amazing!
Although these messages are
mostly for me, thanks for listening. As always – feel free to forward this
message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual
journey.
Don
#2 Oct 2015
Copyright 2015
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