“A.A. and acceptance have taught me that there is a bit of good in the worst of us and a bit of bad in the best of us; that we are all children of God and we each have a right to be here. When I complain about me or about you, I am complaining about God’s handiwork.”
- Acceptance page 417 Alcoholics Anonymous –
If you’re a member of AA, you’d have to be living under a rock not to be familiar with the above passage.
I love meetings that focus on grass roots topics such as Acceptance, Gratitude, Willingness, and Faith.
I need to have that stuff waterboarded into me on a regular basis, because when I got here, I had to unlearn things I’d freely accepted as gospel.
Living in recovery has taught me that everyone has value, everyone brings something to the table, and everyone has important lessons to teach.
Some of the unlikeliest people (especially those I was guilty of prejudging) left an indelible mark on my life.
I was at a meeting the other day, and the discussion was about the difference we make in people’s lives, and how our actions affect others.
All I could think of was George Bailey in ‘It’s a wonderful life.’
Most of us just muddle through the day, convinced that no one notices, no one cares . We go along completely oblivious of the role we play in people’s lives.
And that’s incredibly tragic, because if you’re still alive, God has a plan for you.
If you’ve made it to Alcoholics Anonymous, God has a mission for you.
This is the only place on Earth where you could show up as a Corporate CEO, and the best you could hope for is to graduate to Trusted Servant.
We’re all a slight variation on the same theme, an interconnected part of a vast whole, and our deeds can carry dire ramifications. God designed us that way on purpose.
Once upon a time, I couldn’t imagine my life without alcohol (and the recreational dry goods). The prospect of quitting proved an impossibility. The only reason I’m alive is because of those trailblazers who showed me how it was done…and now it’s my turn to pass it on.
I probably won’t have a Guardian Angel show me what the world would be like if I were never born, but I have something better: my AA family.
