Step Twelve Making A Match

 Step 12 encourages us to share the message of our spiritual awakening with others and to practice the principles we have learned in all our affairs.  This means we keep on doing those things that have helped us retain our sobriety and share with others about the Power that enables us to keep going.

 We have a message to share with others,  but we need to be careful that our lives match what we have learned. We need to be sensitive to those who are still in addiction or perhaps have just entered the recovery process.  We need to remember how we felt when the program was new and intimidating to us.  In our enthusiasm to share we might scare someone away by being thoughtless in our approach.  Remember how vulnerable we were in dealing with our guilt and shame? 

 Every person we encounter is special in the eyes of our Heavenly Father and we need to demonstrate the love of God in us by being understanding, patient, and kind in all we say and do. We need to allow a person to be where they are at and encourage them to take one step at a time. We should ask ourselves “Who were we drawn to when we first came into recovery?  What was it about them that encouraged us”?  Now we can be that kind of encouraging person for someone else.  The message of hope for recovery needs to be shared with the grace that God alone can give us.  As we greet others today, let’s have kind words to encourage them and good deeds to help where we can.