When I Help You – You Are Helping Me

From my friend, Michael Z, [www.thewisdomoftherooms.com] who writes about ACIM’s concept of Oneness using AA’s English: " Before recovery I did everything I could think of to get better on my own. I'd try to stop drinking during the week; … I'd join a gym and exercise a while, or I'd go on a healthy diet. I went into therapy to work on myself, and I started journaling. At the end of all of this, though, I'd find myself alone, depressed and drunk.

 When I entered the program, I thought I might finally learn how to help myself. Instead, I was given direction that made no sense. "Wash the coffee cups after the meeting," I was told. "Get a commitment to get to a meeting early and set the chairs up." "Become a greeter and ask other people how they are doing." What about me? I thought. How am I going to get better if I'm focused on helping others rather than myself? Even though I didn't understand it, I was desperate, so I followed your direction.

 And that's when the miracle took place. Over time I came to see that alone I couldn't, but together we could recover. I learned that the solution began when I got out of myself and helped you. … Ultimately I learned that when I was helping you, you were helping me and that was the solution I could never find by myself.

When I can actually understand the emotions of fear, anxiety and distress that are behind another’s comments or attitudes, I am able to empathize and relate because I, too, have those same emotions. In those brief moments we are communicating on the same wavelength and all superficial differences between us seem to disappear. I say “seem” because that’s the way I think. In reality the differences actually have disappeared.

That’s the miracle A Course in Miracles explains – the miracle of Oneness.

In AA that same miracle is expressed in the experience of discovering – as Michael Z stated – that when I am helping you, you are helping me.

I know this is a very short message because I am in the middle of trying to maintain my peace, serenity and joy in the midst of trying to get our house and property ready for selling. My, oh my – the stress, worry and expectations become very difficult for me to deal with appropriately. I just need to remember that I am a work in progress. I’m no longer who I was, but I’m not fully who I am going to be.

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.

For those of you who have asked me for guidance on how to change, I hope this helps.

Don

#2 Apr 2016

Copyright 2016