Matthew 10:8
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
Mahatma Gandhi
"As every man has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
1 Peter 4:10
Step 12: "Having had a spiritual awakening through the Atonement of Jesus Christ as a result of taking these steps, we share this message with others and practice these principles in all we do."
The key principle of this step is Service.
It's interesting what this step does NOT say. It does NOT say, "When you are completely sober..." It does NOT say, "When you feel better about yourself..." Step 12 says, "Having had a spiritual awakening..." What does that tell us? Recovery is a spiritual process and comes as the result of both our efforts to step into relationship with God and the Grace of Jesus Christ, which then allows...and enables us...to experience transformation. As an addict, even though I was warming a pew in church every Sunday, I was spiritually asleep. Spiritually unconscious. And if you know my story, I became deader and deader (can you be deader?) to the Spirit as my addiction grew and progressed. And finally, I broke completely and tried to run from God and everything else worthwhile in my life. But He pursued me, brought me home, and gave me the opportunity to begin with Step 1...which was so difficult and yet brought so much freedom.
In early recovery at Desert Solace, I attended a 12-step meeting every night for three months, and working these steps was a HUGE part of recovery. And as I continue to attend meetings years later, these steps still bless my life and help keep me on the path. As I've written before, as we progress through the steps and begin to wake up...to God and to life...we experience a change of heart, and that change of heart leads us to begin living an outward life. We begin to see others as God sees them, just as we begin to see ourselves as He sees us. Really, this is when everything changes for us.
It's critical to recognize the how and the where our change of heart comes from..."through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." This is how we access the Grace necessary to transform our lives and become someone different. This is the story and purpose of the Gospel, and it's the story of all of scripture.
The 12 Step guidebook says, "As we approach step 12, we acknowledge that this is not the end of our journey. As a result of working these steps, we enjoy a life of recovery through the grace and mercy of God...We have a message of hope for others struggling with addiction and for all people facing the challenges of mortality: God is a God of miracles, as He always has been. Our lives prove that. We are each being made new through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We can share this message best by serving others." Yes, this is not the end of the journey. Really, it's just the beginning. The beginning of a new life with new Light and new focus and new intention. When we experience that change of heart, it changes us, and it changes everything for us and around us. Life flows better. We can be present and aware. We can live in acceptance of what is. We see beauty all around us, when as addicts we saw only fear and problems. We gained a new perspective and new confidence, all the while living in a humility we'd never known before. And now we get to share it all!
More from the guidebook..."Bearing one another's burdens through acts of kindness and selfless service is part of our new lives as followers of Christ. The desire to help others is a natural result of spiritual awakening." So, we don't "have" to love and serve others. We "get" to. This is what real rebirth brings. We don't grumble about our calling, our ministering, or an early morning Sunday meeting. It may not take away the difficulty, but we can see all of our service in a new Light. For someone who is working the steps and is in recovery from any type of soul sucking addiction, this is new territory! But know this...the joy that comes from living an outward life is worth any effort.
We treat the cashier at the grocery store differently, we drive our car differently, and we interact with those we work with differently. We show up differently for everyone, and are less judgmental and more forgiving. We are, in fact, different people than we were before recovery.
Part of this Step 12 is sharing our story with others and letting go of any shame around it. This might be tough at first, and we don't just share our story of addiction and recovery with anyone, anywhere, at any time, but we will know who needs to hear it. Our stories...your story...can and will bless the lives of those who hear it. There is no shame in poor choices...we've all made them... and there is only joy in leaving them behind. People need to hear that and know that. They need to hear about the miracles that got you here, to this moment. We are all shaped by our stories and they are important. Marilyn and I always say that we would not recommend our journey to anyone...it was difficult, ugly, and heartbreaking. But it was also Grace filled and blessed, and we both consider ourselves walking miracles. And not just us...we see miracles every week in our couples 12 step meeting, and those miracles never stop! We have seen too many miracles and too much change to ignore it or deny it. God is a miracle worker! No one is too far gone or out of reach of Grace! And our greatest joy comes from being able to serve others in that weekly meeting...
I have been able to experience a new life in recovery only because many others have been willing to help...to bless my life through their work and their willingness. Marilyn and I have been blessed by the lives of dozens of people we never would have known, except through our recovery journey. We love every one of them and are so grateful for each of them.
Living Step 12 is simply living the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is just service to others; it is striving to love our neighbor...which is not an easy thing to do!...and it is dispensing Grace to others as it has been dispensed to us. There is a reason the Savior so often introduces Himself as being "full of grace and truth." He is in fact full of Grace, and He gives it freely as we allow it into our lives. And the truth is that He loves us, is merciful above all else, and always wants the best possible outcome for us, even when we can't see it.
So... once again...working these 12 Steps will change any life. That effort will allow anyone to experience the Atonement of Jesus Christ in a new and powerful way, and the blessings that flow will amaze them. They will begin to see things "as they really are" and will learn to "choose to live in the grace of the day," as Phillip Yancey wrote, and they can do that every day. Mike Petrow said, "The more you heal, the more of a healing presence you become in the world." We live in world that needs healing, and those of us who choose to live these Steps have the opportunity to help. That's where real joy comes from...
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