Trust God

            “Trust God, clean house, help others.”

Some say these six words are the short form of the 12-steps of recovery. So how do I work this phrase into my own life?

Probably “trust God” is the most difficult. And it’s not that I don’t believe a divine force effortlessly manages our universe. My problem, as always, is my powerful addiction and an ego that says I run everything and blah, blah, blah and so on. But as soon as I morph back to humility, I see God’s fingerprints everywhere.

I see it in the workings of TLC, how our unfunded 750 bed program survives government lawsuits, money and management problems. I see God in the lives of the hopeless angry addicts who come to us - then graduate with a new future.  I see Him in my own recovery, how I’ve managed to live a fairly healthy 20+ years of recovery while being challenged with hepatitis c and neuropathy, the results of 40 some years of alcohol and heroin addiction.

As to “clean house,” I do that in steps four through ten.  There’s no mystery here. The instructions are clear, an action guide that lets us clear the trash from our lives and make amends to those we’ve harmed. Ten is especially helpful because I can go through my day without accumulating new stuff simply by admitting when I'm wrong.

But the real reward is when we can “help others.” I believe there’s no greater blessing, no more wonderful reward in sobriety than when we can be a positive influence in the world – which means carrying the message to those who still suffer.