Having had a spiritual experience as the result of this course of action, we tried to carry this message to others, especially alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
- Step 12 (Original wording)
In the second publishing of the book Alcoholics Anonymous, the wording of Step 12 was changed so that it read to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice.... Just as other programs for other issues borrowed the 12 Step program and adapted it, most also have the revised wording on the twelfth step. Narcotics Anonymous carries the message to addicts, Gamblers Anonymous carries the message to other compulsive gamblers, Overeaters Anonymous to other compulsive eaters, Sex Addicts Anonymous to other sex addicts... you get the idea. The only exception that I know of is the version found in the Christian Twelve Steps, which goes the opposite way. It reads, having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
There is nothing wrong with any of these groups' versions of the twelfth step, but I love and prefer the original wording. The message that we are carrying is recovery from a hopeless state of mind and body and an awakened spiritual life worth living that is found in surrender to and relationship with our Creator. We are trying to practice the spiritual principles that led to freedom in all our affairs. And we find a new life and freedom from much more than our main issue(s) of alcohol, drugs, spending, eating, sex, whatever issue or combination of issues you happen to be seeking freedom from. When we find relationship with God that transforms us and sets us free from addictions and habitual sins and gives us the power through surrender to Him to be of maximum service to our fellows, loving God and loving others, our very lives become a light in the darkness.
I like that. One reason is that our actions carry the message that living unselfishly in service to Daddy and our fellows brings joy, peace and love. If we practice the principles of letting the Spirit power and control us, of giving Daddy us so that He can block and remove our old selfish nature and replace it with a new and loving nature, admitting when we fall short of love and hurt others and try to correct our wrong without excuse or shifting blame, and seek to improve that relationship through a conscious awareness of God with us, we can carry the message of hope, that there is an answer to what ails us, whatever that may be, that there is a life worth living to be found, without even saying a word. If the acceptance and love of Christ are seen in our actions in all our affairs, it will draw others to us, and as we give God the glory for who He is, in thanksgiving for His great mercy and love and for all that He has done for us, those who want what we have will see that it is not us, but Him who has the answers.
We are called to love and serve others as Christ did. That means all others. Our friends and family, our enemies, those we are comfortable with and those we wouldn't associate with without the love of Jesus controlling and changing our hearts. So I like the idea that we carry the message of the life of hope and freedom we've found to others, whoever those others happen to be. Go and tell the world by the love in our eyes, the service and compassion of our actions, and yes, with out words to those that God brings into our path. We are not called to isolation. We are not called to love and serve and shine a light in the lives of only those who are like us, whether that likeness be in shared bondage, shared affinities, shared gender, shared race, shared whatever. But the reason I don't prefer the Christian Twelfth Step is that while it includes that idea of others that had been dropped or never included by most 12 Step programs, it ignores the especially part. It is not true that only a person who has gone through similar to what we have can help us. But it is true that there is a bond, a connection and an understanding in shared suffering. A person who has lost a child can tell a grieving parent, I know what you are going through and what you are feeling and have that be true. There is no knee jerk response of you don't know what I'm going through! You've never lost anyone, much less a child! An addict can tell another addict that they've been in the same place, done the same things, felt the same withdrawals and fears and powerlessness and found freedom. A person who has been abused and victimized can share empathy with a victim and point him or her to the One who heals. The areas of our hurt and need in which we have found freedom, healing and hope are naturally the ones where we find ourselves most drawn to help others.
I want to carry the message of a life worth living to all, but especially those who have lived through the same shades of hell as I, who have been the same sort of slaves and share similar scars. But the good news is that whether you look at the 12 Steps as a way to find freedom and victory over one issue of bondage, a solitary addiction or compulsion, a variety of chains or simply as a way of discipleship and freedom from the slavery to sin, they are designed to lead us to surrender and relationship with Daddy, and that will effect every area of our lives. We will have a spiritual awakening. Our life will be transformed. When we let the Spirit's guidance and direction and the love of Jesus work in and through us we won't have to be worried about who the others are. We can be of service to and an instrument of love in the lives of those who suffer as we did and of those with whom we have nothing more in common than humanity and everyone in between. We don't have to confine ourselves to only helping or reaching out to any particular group, nor do we have to ignore those like us in search of a broader audience for our message.
But we do need to remember that our lives are the message. That people will listen to our actions, our body language, and our facial expressions far earlier and with more attention than they will ever listen to our words. People will want what we have if we show that we have something desirable. They will believe that Jesus loves them if we love them like Christ. But if we say God bless you, be at peace while refusing to love, accept and serve as Jesus did, we will not only fail to draw others to Him, we will push them further away and cause them more pain. Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and to set the captive free, not to beat the wounded and condemn. That is the good news. That is our hope. It is what He did for us and the truth that He loves us as we are, not as we should be, but also enough not to leave us the mess we are that is everything. We need to practice, by grace, the submission to the Spirit that leads to freedom, love and service in all our affairs, in every situation and at every time so we will be an instrument of love, peace and joy and a light of hope and freedom to others. When we will lift Him up in our attitude and actions, others will be drawn to Him. And...we will fail. We will fall short. We are being transformed, not have been transformed. We are becoming like Jesus, not have already attained that likeness. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection. While we need to be aware that we are always on display as a disciple and child of God and walk accordingly, we also need to remember that we don't have to earn His love or help, that His mercies are new every morning and that He is quick to forgive and longs to restore us to right relationship with Him. And finally, remember that while we are called and responsible to carry the message, we are not responsible for nor in control of anyone receiving that message or how they respond to it.
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