Recently an AA brother used a car metaphor.
“Life is a journey, and my journey is in my spiritual car.”
“When I arrived at AA. I was screaming down the highway the gas pedal jammed at full throttle. The tachometer was red-lined. RPMs were off the chart. The sound was unbelievable. I was hanging on for dear life.”
“Looking back, I can see that I only had one speed. And that speed was full-on excitement. And full-on excitement had become scary.”
“My transmission would only do forward and reverse. Forward was anger. Reverse was fear.”
“The combination of the jammed throttle and the broken transmission was bad. I was either screaming forward with anger or careening wildly backwards in fear.”
“If that were not enough, I had destroyed the clutch. Without a clutch, I would force the transmission from forward anger to backward fear with no gap in between. Shifting from forward to reverse meant slamming the gear shift and grinding the gears. And the transitions between anger and fear, at full speed, were violent. Everyone in the car, my family, friends, and co-workers, were thrown around.”
“That was my state when I came in. Full speed anger or fear. With wild and sudden starts and stops.”
“I needed a maintenance program for the car of my life. And I had no mechanical skills or tools. With a Higher Power mechanic and the Program tools, I rebuilt my spiritual car, starting with the power train.”
“The gas pedal was fixed. Working properly, it moved up and down; now, I had graduated levels of awareness and mindfulness. As the situation warrants, the gas flow can be increased or reduced. I can still have excitement, but it is mindful excitement, not panicked excitement.”
“And before the repairs, I only had full-on reverse or fear. With the new gas pedal, I could progress from mild concern to actual fear and be aware of what’s going on.”
“The new transmission was a three-speed standard, with three forward speeds: ‘acceptance, tolerance, and love.’”
“And the clutch is now working, and it is called, pause-pray-listen.”
“This newly repaired power train is better. Now my spiritual car can be navigated at slow speeds in tight parking situations or high speeds on the freeways of my life. “
“My spiritual maintenance program with my Higher Power Mechanic makes life better. “
“But I have to remember things wear out; my spiritual condition needs attention all the time.”
This was an apt share and a great metaphor.
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