Making It Your Own

Someone said that making your faith your own is like making a recovery program your own.  An example is the garage.  If you stand in the middle of a garage it does not make you a car.  Apply the simile to Church/Synagogue/Temple visits.  When young you might go because you have to. That does not necessarily make you a believer.  Your parents take you.  But it is really the adult’s faith that you have.  You think it is your own, but it is not really yours until you go when you want to rather than when you have to, or need to or think you ought to go.  It is the same with recovery meetings.  Just going does not make you recovered or sober.  You go because you at first “have to” go.  Your life is a wreck or some court makes you go.  Then you go because your realize you need to go, but it is still not yet your program.  Then you go because you want to go.  It becomes your program and you become of service to others.  Faith too is not about a “getting” but about a “giving.”