KLEAN is covering a 12 part series that discusses each and every one of the 12 Steps of Recovery. We believe that taking each step at a time will shed light on the truth and the purpose of each one. With proven success, the 12 Steps are a momentous set of guidelines that are available for those in recovery. Follow us, won’t you, and take the time to fully understand the scope of this series.
Step Two- We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
This step is all about faith. With the wisdom provided by the program, the friendship and support of other members, the healing process begins with the help of a loving God, as they understand him.
The power that is greater than us is a spiritual knowing rather than a religious viewpoint. Even agnostics or atheists, who reject the concept of a deity, are asked to lay aside prejudice…” and give the program a chance. There is nothing mentioned about religious beliefs, doctrine, or dogma.
All you have to do is trust that there is a power “greater than yourself.” It is what it is and you can interpret that in your own manner. Believe in and practice the spiritual principle of hope. This hope and belief is what will take you through the other 12 steps and it will make everything come together and start to make sense.
The key question we ask ourselves in the 2nd Step is “”Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power greater than myself?” Be honest, open minded, and willing as this will restore your sanity and enable you to live a happy, healthy life. Once you believe it you can receive it. Then and only then will you see the power start to manifest in miraculous ways.
Step two almost seems to contradict Step One, which says that our substance is our higher power and that our lives are unmanageable. Then is Step Two we will have found our Higher Power and hope that this will bring about a return to sanity. Step Two is about hope. This is hope that consoles and tells a person that they can one day live a happy and content life without obsessing over drugs and alcohol.
Step One almost admits defeat but Step Two is a solution, a solution that changes lives. Never make the mistake of underestimating the strength of Step Two. In order for step two to start working in our lives, it is suggested that we find a higher power that loves, cares, and is greater than ourselves. This cannot happen instantly, it is a process.
Step Two also talks about “restoring us to sanity”. In the AA or NA meeting you will likely hear “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This characterizes our attempts to control our using, even though most of us knew in our hearts that we could never control it for any length of time yet we kept trying.
Not until we come to believe in a Higher Power can we eliminate the compulsive behavior and obsessive thinking and replace it with hope.
