The generous will prosper;
those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25
Funny how it works sometimes. I had been thinking about the 12th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous, which states- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Then the passage used at church for today’s message was Proverbs 11:25. Perfect, right?
The 12th step is the “give it away step”. The principle is, that by helping others, we end up helping ourselves. For recovering alcoholics, it means that helping another alcoholic stay sober anchors the sobriety of the one who is helping. This concept is foundational in recovery work, especially AA, which literally wrote the book on recovery. Service to others is good for the one who is serving.
The saying that a lot of AA members use is “you can’t keep it unless you give it away”. There is a lot of truth in that statement. The paradox that we live in every day is that very truth. By serving others, we gain life ourselves. Funny how that works…
Finally, I realized that this blog will appear on June 6- the 78th anniversary of D-Day. Those Allied soldiers who gave so much that day served in a special and heroic way. Some of those heroes never came home. Their sacrifice gave so many the opportunity for freedoms that we enjoy today.
Prayer: Lord, you have given us the lessons of paradox, that when we are weak, then we are strong. Help us to better understand your ways, Amen
Reflections of a Counselor 