“God Will Save Me”

I was bumming around the internet today and found a good essay on atheism/agnosticism as a path to God. The author didn’t say anyone who walks this path ultimately finds God, just that there are some who do. They begin with no belief, then come to believe. There are more than a few 12-steppers out there who know exactly what I’m talking about.

The author repeated an old story that I like a lot, about a man who becomes trapped in a flood. He decides to make this his chance test whether God really does exist or not. He prays, deeply, and asks God to come and save him.

As the rain pours down, he hears a warning on the radio that everyone needs to get to higher ground. But he ignores it, thinking God will save him. A firefighter comes to his door, telling him he needs to evacuate, but the man declines, telling the firefighter that God will save him. The waters rise and the man climbs higher in his house, up to the second floor. Before long, the Coast Guard comes by in a boat, but the man declines to get in. He tells the serviceman that God will save him. Finally, the floodwaters force him to the roof. A helicopter comes by to save any last survivors. But once again, the man shouts at the top of his lungs, refusing help, that he is waiting for God to save him.

The rising waters envelop him and the man drowns. He wakes up in Heaven, face to face with the almighty. He stutters at first, then says to God, “why didn’t you save me?” To which God replies, “Are you fucking kidding?! I warned you on the radio. I sent a fireman. I sent the Coast Guard. I sent a goddamned helicopter, for crise sakes!”

Yeah, okay, I added the profanity, just cause I think the story’s funnier that way.

Seriously, though, I like this story because it is such a great example of the way so many misunderstand how the spiritual works in our lives. It also highlights a very important principle: we need to do our part. When we do our part, and let our higher power take care of the rest, amazing things happen.

I’ve known people in Recovery who were adamant about their atheism. And it’s true that you don’t have to achieve any kind of special ‘God-consciousness’ for the Program to work for you. But of those who I have seen have success in the program, they tend—far more often than not—to be connected with the spiritual. People who learn to rely on a higher power working in their lives have much greater success far quicker than those who don’t. Those who work on having conscious contact with their higher power, their lives go better. It’s just one of those things.

We do have to do our part. We can’t sit there in our homes thinking ‘God will save us’ from our disease. We have to take action, do what we can do. God finds those who seek, not those who sit around on their asses.