Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps,

we tried to carry this message to others,

and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

 

Most of you know that my spiritual roots are in a twelve-step fellowship that led me out of the wreckage of my life that was addiction. It was the place that allowed me to grow spiritually. One of the aspects of addiction is that we arrive at the doors of the fellowship emotionally and spiritually bankrupt. The self-centredness of addiction does not allow for emotional or spiritual growth or maturity.

The brilliance of the twelves steps of recovery is that while it is a process of recovering from the illness of addiction and restoring one’s humanity, it has a trajectory. The purpose of our spiritual awakening and growth is so that we may carry the message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Trust me, I have taken full advantage that the fellowship emphasizes progress not perfection.

This focus on becoming someone who can carry the message has very concrete implications. The first of these, is that we serve. We have to! If we want the fellowship to be able to meet, then we need to serve. In the upside-down world of service, the most important service position is the person that sets up the meeting. As one moves through the levels of service from a local area, to a regional association, and on to a national or international service committee, one is actually moving down the hierarchy. 

In keeping with this concept is the understanding that the most important person at any meeting of the fellowship is the person walking into a meeting in need. This person is where the entire process of recovery and restoration has been focused. By telling others what our addiction was like, we maintain a clarity of the wreckage that the newcomer is wanting to escape. As we share, willingly, happily, and freely the solution that we have found, for we remember what it was like, we grow in strength of confidence. We also know that the only way to sustain our recovery is by “giving it away.”

I have been thinking about this a lot lately as I attend a theological college. As my fellow classmates and I struggle to articulate our faith, I realize that I have a template. Imagine if our fellowships were like the twelve steps. The most important person in our church would be the person coming to see what it was like! Our leaders would be but trusted servants. And the most important person at any of our gatherings is the person showing up because they are in need. I think we would see what was originally meant for the church, as it was a gathering of people, not an institution.

 

Anyway, that is my opinion