Meditations on "Amends"

When we say in Step 12 that we have had a spiritual wakening, we are describing the impact we have experienced as we’ve completed the first eleven steps.

Our life with God in recovery should be one of continual learning and growing.

Sadness is one of the most common human emotions and can be difficult to deal with.

Each day in recovery is a new opportunity to respond to God's call to live in humility; desire reconciling of relationships; walk in forgiveness; and focus on cleaning our side of the street.

When we begin the recovery process we are often overwhelmed by the guilt and shame of the mess we have made of our lives.

Little by little as we walk with God and work the steps, we become aware of who we are and how we relate to others.

One of the central pillars of the recovery world is the sharing of each person’s experience, strength, and hope.

When we come to the point of making amends, fear can overwhelm us as we think about those we have harmed.

When we turn our will and our life over to God’s care and trust in the new life Jesus gives us, does that mean we should never reflect on guilty feelings?

For most of us compiling a list of people we have harmed and becoming willing to make amends to them is extremely intimidating.

Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path .

A lot of us would admit that we acted immaturely in our former relationships, and that we used and abused others so that we could get what we wanted when we wanted it.