INNOCENCE

Definition of Innocence:
The state, quality, or fact of being innocent / a person’s virginity.

Synonyms of Innocence:
Guiltless, blameless, irreproachable, purity, integrity, morality, etc.

These notes are from recovery in AA and/or related 12 step programs. Readers are encouraged to click external links for more detail. We hope you find them helpful.

Love in fellowship.

We begin by trusting our ignorance and calling it innocence, by trusting our innocence and calling it purity; what a mess. Either Jesus Christ is the supreme authority on the human heart or He is not worth paying attention to.

Am I prepared to trust His judgment or do I prefer to trust my innocent ignorance? As long as I remain under the refuge of innocence, I am living in a fool’s paradise.

The only thing that safeguards is the redemption found in Jesus Christ. Purity is too deep down for me to get to naturally; but when the Holy Spirit comes in, He brings into the center of my life the very Spirit that was manifested in the life of Jesus Christ–the Holy Spirit, who is unsullied purity.”

And when we hear these rugged statements of Our Lord’s, we shrink and say But I never felt any of those awful things in my heart. We resent what Jesus Christ reveals.” ––Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest,

Initially we trust in our ignorance, calling it innocence, and next we trust our innocence, calling it purity. Then when we hear strong statements from our HP, (the Beatitudes) we shrink back, saying, “But I never felt any of those awful things in my heart.”

We resent what He reveals. Am I prepared to trust the penetration of His Word into my heart, or would I prefer to trust my own ‘innocent ignorance’? As long as I remain under the false security of my own ‘innocence,’ I am living in a fool’s paradise.  –Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest | More…

We are born in innocence. Corruption comes later. The first fear is a corruption, the first reaching for something that defies us. We are corrupted. To be a human is to be corrupted. Our corruptions interfere with our happiness at the very time we are seeking happiness. Corruptions stifle our growth. We are each who we need to be.
Recovery is choosing to help ourselves and one another to be as we are. –Each Day A New Beginning/Karen Casey | More…