God’s Name is Not Jane

Jane Foster is an award-winning novelist originally from New Orleans. In 2013 she came out with bestseller Below Sea Level, which won the Illumination Book Award. Jane wrote the book to demystify rehab and show how a willing person can make a complete change with the help of God and fellowship. It is Jane’s mission to raise recovery awareness and remove any stigma on recovering addicts. Her hope is that Below Sea Level will be useful and comforting to all who read it. Below Jane discusses what a higher power means to her.

When I first started going to 12 Step meetings, I heard people talking about a Higher Power and asked a woman I had met what this really meant. She said to me, “Jane, all you really need to know about that for now is that God’s name is not Jane.” This was relaxing news! I thought everything was up to me. I thought I needed willpower, self-control and determination to get sober. I didn’t need any of these things, and it’s a good thing, too, as they have always been in short supply.

This same woman told me I needed to be humble, and she defined humility for me. To be humble is to be teachable. She said I needed to realize my best efforts landed me where I was and that I needed to learn something new or I would stay just where I was. Amazed she didn’t realize I knew everything about everything, I would say, “Yes, but…” after whatever she had to say. No matter what it was, I had the answer to why I was an exception to every rule. She told me if I could stop ‘yes-butting’, I had a chance at learning something useful and not end up terminal with my uniqueness in tact.

I had only enough sense to see I was not at my personal best at that very moment. In fact, I was so down, I just listened to her and followed most of her suggestions. That was over twenty years ago, and I still smile when I remind myself that God’s name is not Jane!

You can purchase “Below Sea Level” at http://www.amazon.com/Below-Sea-Level-Jane-Foster/dp/1627462414