"Don't Ride That Bus!" -- Stay Seated in Heavenly Places

People in the AA program struggle with their feelings.

At least, that is the perception that people receive when they read the "Big Book". The writers spend so much time dealing with the feelings of men and women, telling them to deal with their resentment, fear, upset, and other issues:

Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically. In dealing with resentments, we set them on paper. We listed people, institutions or principles with whom we were angry. We asked ourselves why we were angry. In most cases it was found that our self-esteem, our pocketbooks, our ambitions, our personal relationships. (AA, pg 64)

In my life, however, I found that the resentments just did not seem to go away. I would take my inventory many times over, yet I still found myself getting upset time and again about people, places, and things which had harmed me.

The classical example of this was in one meeting, where an older gentleman was joking:

"Sometime at night, I go back to that school-yard when I was in fourth grade, and I still think that I can't beat up that bully Mike. . ."

Of course, he was joking when he shared that, and I had to laugh, too. For a long time, I found myself still fighting with people from last week, last month, last year.

But simply ignoring the ugly thoughts is not enough. When I would get upset about someone or something, I would feel that I had to "do something".

Doing other activities did not distract me enough. The "Big Book" prescribes the following:

When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code. (AA, pg 84)

One common phrase that I used to hear a lot when I was dealing with my "feelings":

"The buses may run by, but you do not have to jump on the bus if you do not want to. Don't ride the bus."

So, whenever I would get angry or uptight about something, or about anything, I would keep trying to "ignore" the feeling.

Unfortunately, that kind of activity does not work. When I would get "busy" doing something good to help someone, sometimes that would increase my resentment. Even when I did something that helped the person, the feelings did not go away. Sometimes, the person was ungrateful and overbearing, or just plain rude, and now I was even madder!

This program of looking at your feelings and doing things to keep your feelings in check -- this is contrary to the Gospel. Jesus Christ wants us to have life and that more abundantly. How can a man have life if he is spending nearly every waking moment checking himself or reacting to his feelings?

The Bible does not call us to live like that, either:

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

"Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." (Philippians 4: 8-9)

What exactly should we do, then:

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." (Colossians 3: 1)

Jesus holds the entire universe in His hands. Did you also know, if you believe on Him, that you are seated up there with Him?:

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 2: 4-6)

This is what God the Father told His Son to do after He finished the work which God the Father sent Him to do:

" The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." (Psalms 110: 1)

Since every believer is as Jesus is (1 John 4: 17), God the Father is inviting every believer to do the same thing. Instead of trying to put out all the fires in our lives, instead of squelching the resentments, God the Father is inviting us to rest in our righteous standing by faith. He is asking us to praise Him for all that He has done, and we therefore trust Him to put out the fires in our lives, to bring our enemies under our feet:

"And [God] hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

'Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." (Ephesians 1: 22-23)

We resist the devil and his fiery attacks (Ephesians 6: 16), including the recurrent resentments which can afflict us throughout the day, not by fighting with the devil and his minions (who are already defeated -- Colossians 2: 13), but by standing in our faith:

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

"Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." (1 Pter 5: 8-9)

Because AA has no conception of a God who would send His Son to die for us, to make us righteous, to give us His standing in the world, and no belief in Satan the accuser who attacks us for our failures, it easily follows that many believers who attempt to live out the principles of AA will find themselves fighting with a fallen enemy instead of resting in their victory (Romans 8: 37).

Not only do we not have to "Ride the Bus", but in Christ our Rest (Matthew 11: 28) are our Righteousness (2 Corinthians 5: 21). we labor to enter in the Promised Land (Hebrews 4: 11) which He has laid out for us!