Step two is about having a suspicion that God can restore wholeness. (This is different than having “knowledge” that this is true, based on results attained by actions that have been taken). ALL spiritual growth begins with the cornerstone of first having a suspicion that taking certain actions will somehow be beneficial to us. *In other words…to take Step 2 it is not necessary to “know” or have “faith” that (A) Got will OR (B) that God can restore sanity (wholeness)…rather it is only needed to have a ”belief” (i.e. ~ a suspicion) that it is “possible.” It is in this step that willingness comes into play.
We look now at the first part of Step 2: Came to believe…and here there are definitions to understand the context of what IS happening and what is NOT happening as this step is taken. It can be said that when we decide to begin the steps we first “came” into a place of learning. As we proceeded we “came to” a place of understanding. To better understand this, we will look at definitions and scripture to put this principle in context.
The very beginning of Step 2 is stating, (not in the present tense – we are coming to – but rather in the past tense), that “We came to…”.
Came to - To waken; To raise up; Arrive at; Reach a conclusion
Why would it read this way? Because before we approached this step we determined two important things:
(2) The unmanageability in our lives,
resulting from that powerlessness
This information brings us from a point of lacking reason to hope for real change, to a place of “coming to” or waking up! Next we look at what we are waking up to…and that is to BELIEVE. It is important here to unpack this word and how in this context it differs from the word “faith”.
Suspicion - A feeling (or belief) that something is true; a belief
Believe - To think/suspect that something is true or correct
OR
Belief - The feeling of being certain
that something exists or is true
To believe (or have belief) – is to have a suspicion strong enough that it results in taking action. When Step 2 says, “We came to believe…” it is saying that we have reached a point where we have begun learning information, hearing about and gaining hope from others, and have a suspicion that moving forward will be good for us.
ALL spiritual growth begins with the cornerstone of “belief”…because we do not pursue spiritual matters unless we FIRST suspect they will be beneficial.
When there is not a clear understanding in the subtle difference between the words “belief and faith” in the context of this important step, it can cause misunderstanding and a lack of progress in a forward direction:
(a) Are powerless over
(b) Have unmanageability with
At
a point, you begin, ( or began), to realize that though you’ve tried many times to come to terms with an
area(s) (or) to overcome it
all together – it has been with limited, to no lasting success. When this is
the reality experienced, we cannot yet
have a “high degree of trust or confidence” that this new effort is going to
bring about lasting change (and)
the “actions” we’ve taken up until now have not
resulted in the long term outcome we have been seeking.
So by definition we are not at a place yet of “faith”. In fact, what we are dealing with is sometimes actually “doubt”:
Thankfully, to proceed in Step 2 it is not necessary to yet have “faith” (by the definition given) – but rather to simply “believe” (which allows room to simultaneously be experiencing doubt in the midst of it), and continue forward through the steps, which will change what began as simply a belief, transforming it to faith in action!
Next we move to the middle portion of Step 2: …that God (who is greater than ourselves) could restore us to sanity.
Now, it is safe to say that intellectually we all know that God is greater…but then if we knew it to our very core – would we ever take things back that we give to Him in an effort to fix them ourselves? NOPE! But then that is the dilemma of being human – just as a child will think that they don’t need their parent, so too will we struggle with our Creator God. It is helpful to have a point of context that enables us to understand better and in a “results based” manner, this truth and this is one:
Mankind is finite: Having bounds or limits; Subject to limits or conditions; Limited
God is infinite: Immeasurably great; indefinite; unlimited; boundless; Limitless
The next portion of Step 2 is…could restore us to sanity: “Could” ~ which means it’s up to YOU - to invite Him into your situation.
Restore - Overhaul; Reinstate; Repair; Reestablish; Rebuild; Bring back
Last we take a look at the final aspect of Step 2 which references “Sanity”. First we will look at two words:
Sanity - Which comes from the Latin word – sanitus – which means “complete or whole”
Insanity - Which comes from the Latin word – insanitus – “incomplete or not whole”
Another common definition of insanity is: Repeating the same failed actions and expecting different results.
Putting all of this information together now: Step 2 – We came to suspect that God (who is greater than ourselves) could restore wholeness to our lives.
What to do: (This is something you can work on in your own time and if you would like a prayer – see #3)
- What areas of your life are not whole?
- Do you suspect that an infinite God can restore
wholeness to you?
- Prayer: God, in your infinite mercy and grace I come to you believing that you can restore wholeness in this area of my life and I ask that you would be with me in the steps ahead – Thank you – amen
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2015-2022 Rebecca Balko
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