Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The Gift of the 12-Steps


I subscribe to a blog called "Daily Brainstorm." I like this blog because it is a compilation of some of the best blogs on the Internet. And probably 25% of the content relates to to living with serenity, to having good values in life, and to enjoying the journey we're on.

As I was reading this morning's offering I recognized that many of the things they talk about achieving we find in the 12 step programs. And we've been getting them for many years, long before the internet came into existence. The lesson for me is that the world hungers for a better way to deal with life's challenges.

From there I segued into how blessed we are to have 12 step programs. For these programs teach us how to clean up the wreckage of our past. They teach us to recognize that we're powerless over substances and most everything else. We come to realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. We have a framework for making amends to those we have harmed. And in the 10th step we are able to maintain peace in our life by taking care of our messes as we go through the day. In the 12-steps we learn how to carry the message, to give back what was freely given to us.

Those of us in recovery are blessed: we have been gifted with a way of life that many others - even so-called normal people - are still seeking.

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