“We could wish to be moral, we could wish to be philosophically comforted, in fact, we could will these things with all our might, but the needed power wasn’t there. Our human resources, as marshalled by the will, were not sufficient; they failed utterly.” (Chapter Four, Big Book)
“Each of the individuals acknowledged his own defeat as utter and absolute.” (Pass It On)
“And the pain in this mind is so apparent, when it is uncovered, that its need of healing cannot be denied. Not all the tricks and games you offer it can heal it …” (A Course In Miracles)
“‘One cannot teach an old dog new tricks.’ The good news is this: we’re not old dogs; nor is our program a bag of tricks.” (Al Kohallek)
First I have a very serious internal problem. Then I apply all of the solutions. And then I discover that bombarding my problem with solutions does not work. That’s when I go to God, saying, “I have nothing here. I have tried everything. You’re going to have to do something, because I cannot.”
From this point onwards, the previously toothless solutions start bringing about movement and change, because real Power has been accessed.
Strangely, it’s almost impossible to go straight to God. One usually has to relearn from scratch each time that one cannot apply the established solutions using one’s own strength.
The tools are Power Tools. They need a Power Source, and I cannot access the Power Source until I realise I am not a power source.
Before that, it’s like I’m taking a power tool and hitting things with it, as though it’s a hammer.