Congratulations! We have made it to Step 12! What a powerful year it has been, but wait! There’s more!
Step 12 says
We have had a spiritual experience as the result of these [12] steps and we try to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Have you ever been praying to God and suddenly he asks you to do something out of your comfort zone? Two years ago, that very thing happened to me. God asked me to write a book. Not just any book, but the story of how God brought me back to Him through the forgiveness of my dad. Before his death, Dad had been an alcoholic. Years of past shame, self-blame, and hurts from others had caused me to build a wall around my heart. It caused me to find others untrustworthy. It caused me to find God untrustworthy. Then, God changed my heart and my life.
As a result, I started recovery. As God led me through the 12 steps, I found He was with me through everything. Not only that, but each bad thing that happened to me over the years was actually God’s way of preparing me for this season of my life. The season of helping others and carrying the message. This preparation has not been easy, in fact, there have been times it has been downright miserable, but I wouldn’t change any of it. Not even the worst of the worst. It has been through this pain, I have been able to minister to others. It has been through the difficulties of my past, I have been able to show others how God has redeemed them all.
So, when God told me to write “the book”, I was a little apprehensive at first. It made me uneasy to see myself sharing about my past with other people. Then God showed me what it looks like to help others through my story. That’s what step 12 is about. Carrying the message of God’s glory in my life to all that will listen. To help others see there is a way to live a serene life. It is through Christ I find my comfort in times of heartache. It is through Christ my past has been forgiven. It is through Christ I am able to share with you how God has helped me to forgive those who hurt me.
I would not have been able to find the freedom through working the 12 steps of recovery without Christ. Leaning on Him in my weak moments is the only way I made it through. It is the only way I am able to continue forward in my recovery journey. He has shown me the way to go.