STEP TWO

Came to believe that a Power greater
than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

  • Too late have I loved you,
    O Beauty so ancient, O Beauty so new.
    Too late have I loved you!
    You were within me, but I was outside myself,
    and there I sought you! In my weakness,
    I ran after the beauty of the things you have made.
    You were with me, and I was not with you.
    The things you have made kept me from you
    —the things which would have no being
    unless they existed in you!
    You have called, you have cried,
    and you have pierced my deafness.
    You have radiated forth, you have shined out brightly,
    and you have dispelled my blindness.
    You have sent forth your fragrance,
    and I have breathed it in,
    and I long for you. I have tasted you,
    and I hunger and thirst for you.
    You have touched me,
    and I ardently desire your peace.

    ST. AUGUSTINE

DIRECTION

  • Take a moment to reflect on an area of life where you have been living in the defeat of “but I . . .” Name that area concretely now. Maybe it’s a chronic battle with anxiety or depression. Or guilt. Or vocational failure, or addiction, or loneliness.

    Maybe you’ve been saying “But I must have my child return to faith . . . or the marriage I demand . . . or the success I crave” rather than “But God knows what he is doing.” Maybe it’s fear about what could happen in the future.

    Now allow your mind to consider the prospect that God has a plan for your future and that it is good. Not your plan for the future, and not a pain-free plan, but a future with his purpose, presence, and power. Direct your mind to a “but- God” future.

    Throughout the week, when a “But I” thought arises, don’t try to resist it through willpower. Let it be a reminder to allow the phrase “But God” to arise as well.

  • Just as people have core beliefs, we also have core doubts—the ones that interfere most deeply with our growth. The doubts that matter may not be ones we would name out loud or disclose to others. We may not even know we have them—until pain or fear brings them to the surface. But core doubts matter because if unnamed, they can keep us from living in confident interaction with that Power beyond ourselves. Below are some of the most common doubts about God. All of these doubts get named in Scripture.

    Do a Doubt Assessment and identify which of these doubts (or perhaps another you’re aware of ) is most troubling for you.

    • Doubting that God has Power

    • Doubting that God is Good

    • Doubting that God Exists

    • Doubting that God Intervenes

    • Doubting that People Change

    • Doubting Religion

  • This week, recall an experience or area of brokenness in your life that reminds you of your inadequacy. But don’t stop there! Invite God to be present with you and to begin to restore you to sanity.

    This week, each time you think of it, ask God to interact with you in guidance, inspiration, and love.

    In the morning when you wake up, you can pray the “be-with-me” prayer. He can be with you in your thoughts.
    He can be with you in your work.
    He can be with you through other people—and he says particularly through the “least of these”—the poor, the sick, and the forgotten.

    The sustaining power of the unseen presence of God has made the weak strong, has made the deathbed a place of triumph, has brought hope to old age and healing to broken hearts and courage to the desperate and freedom to the addicted and wisdom to the confused.

Encouraging quotes and scripture

  • Romans 7:17-21 (The Message paraphrase):

    • "I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable."

    Genesis 15:6:

    • "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness."

    James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5:

    • "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

    Matthew 6:26:

    • Refers to God’s care for creation: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

    James 2:19:

    • "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder."

    Numbers 6:24-26 (Aaronic Blessing):

    • "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

    Luke 5:8:

    • Peter’s recognition of his unworthiness: "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"

  • St. Augustine, Confessions:

    • "Too late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient, O Beauty so new. Too late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside myself, and there I sought you!... You have called, you have cried, and you have pierced my deafness. You have radiated forth, you have shined out brightly, and you have dispelled my blindness."

    Philosopher Charles Taylor:

    • Notes how belief in God has shifted over time: "Five hundred years ago people found it hard not to believe in God, but today—at least in the West—people find it hard to believe in God."

    Eleonore Stump:

    • Discusses Abraham’s faith and its significance in religious traditions, describing it as foundational and involving ambiguities and missteps.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  • How do you currently look beyond yourself for wisdom or strength in life?

    What does "good-enough" faith mean to you, and how can embracing humility help you move forward even when certainty feels out of reach?

    What does the "longest journey"—moving from head knowledge to heart transformation—look like for you, and what small step might help you begin the journey?

Close by praying or each other.

Continue to Step Three