Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022
Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
God respects me when I work, but He loves me when I sing. — Rabindranath Tagore
What image does the word “God” conjure up? For many of us, the word “God” simply throws up the image of yesterday—unexamined, untested, uncontested. Like so many other concepts, our old idea of God needs to be considered again in the light of recovery.
Many of yesterday’s images would have God as some stern, white-clad figure sitting above, casting a critical eye on all we are and do. We may have believed that God’s only desire for us is that we work hard and suffer bravely. Oftentimes the God of our childhood thinks work is all that counts.
Upon consideration, however, we may come to a more enlightened, loving image of God. As we learn more about what love is and looks like, we may come to the understanding that what God most wants for us is our happiness, contentment, and peace. We may arrive at the lovely situation of coming to understand that God is as happy with us at play as He is with us at work. Or even more so.
Today, I know that “God the task maker” was a figment of my imagination. As I come to know myself better, I am coming to know God better.
Hazelden Foundation
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