I’ve recently been talking with a very brilliant woman who desperately wants to let go of her self-destructive habits. Since her own willpower has utterly failed her, she’s seeking a source of power greater than her dysfunction. But, most of the people she’s met with use the word “God” to refer to that power.
And this woman cannot stand the word “God.”
She meditates and believes in a higher self . . . a true-self where her wisdom resides. And she actively connects with the power of other healthy people. So even though she doesn’t use the word “God,” she has definitely tapped into a power greater than her problem. At this point, that’s been enough to stop her self-destruction.
So, I ask, how important is the word “God,” anyway?
One of my favorite authors, Alexander McCall Smith, wrote eloquently about this question in one of his cozy mysteries about a philosophy professor in Scotland. After she and her boyfriend talk about whether they believe in God, they both throw up their hands and conclude they just don’t know. And, for a while, they leave it at that. Then suddenly the boyfriend says, “Although there is Mozart.”
So, what in your experience, if anything, has convinced you there’s some great power that fuels genius and beauty?
What takes you beyond this world to another dimension of goodness that defies understanding? I find the sheer beauty and brilliance of nature, music, and artistic creations to be enough proof for me!
If the truth and beauty in this world doesn’t convince you, how ’bout those little (and sometimes big) “coincidences” where things just fall together in perfect order, in spite of your worries and attempts to control them? What about serendipity? Good fortune? Just the right person at just the right time?
Wow! It’s almost too much to contemplate. But this I know: A loving power is working in our lives to bring us hope, courage, and amazing solutions to life’s dilemmas.
Sometimes I call that power “God.”
P.S. By the way, I must plead complete incomprehension when I ponder all the unlovely things in this world. I just let that mystery be.
See GigiLanger.com to learn about the tools that transformed my life. They might work for you too!
Gigi Langer has been clean and sober for 33 years, and holds a PhD in Psychological Studies in Education from Stanford University. She’s a sought-after speaker and retreat leader who has helped thousands improve their lives at work and at home. Read her blog here or order her award-winning book from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and all e-book vendors.
