Discipline Constancy Self-Control

I am sometimes surprised to see I have let such an important topic go unaddressed for so long, this is one of those! Growing up in the Christian church, I can relate to the idea of being a disciple very clearly. As the story goes, Jesus's disciples gave up their lives as is to follow him, be his students, and follow his teachings. The juxtapose of being and acting flaky, wild, loose, erratic, and reckless point out the danger of not having made a commitment to the higher calling of right principles and virtues. The idea of authority keeps coming up for me here, as many of us have an authority problem, wanting to be the "author" of our reality. This is where my experience in 12 step helps so much; 1. We admitted we were powerless over others, that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to God as we understood God. Here we recognize that real authority comes from Higher Power, the greater good. Here we make a conscious decision to submit, listen to, and follow the teacher of truth, the "still, small voice"deep within yet all around. Without this solid foundation we are blown about by the winds of life, rudderless, anchorless. This floundering is not good for us, our companions, or life in general. It is only by finding our true teacher (Higher Power), really listening to and learning the lessons, and then following them, that we can be of real help and healing in the world.