How we do our job to heal is the next step in tasks given to us by Recovery. Recovery has a wealth of teaching and best practices to help us heal. These are like walking along the beach and finding hidden artifacts because sometimes they are covered by the sand. The teachings and best practices of Recovery are not original ideas they come from those that have gone before us. They have been around for a long time.
Healing is learning to love ourselves, show compassion to ourselves, be kind to ourselves, and love friends, family, and neighbors. We call these tasks works of mercy. Works of mercy is a familiar term we learn about in a 12-step program. We all know what they are woven into the steps; therefore, they will be familiar to us.
What is mercy? Saint John Paul says, “Mercy’s second name is love.”
He goes on to say, “God’s mercy is in response to human suffering and sin.”
The steps of Recovery do not want us to suffer. Recovery responds to our suffering; it does not make us feel humiliated but rather found again and healed. Pam Sininek, in her talk about Pilgramage of Hope, says, “So works of mercy then bring hope to others by helping others feel loved and cared for. They bring dignity to life. What I like about that, we share mercy with others when we bring love to others.” By doing this task, we also show love and mercy to ourselves.
The steps of Recovery are common and viable ways in which those of us who have mental health and substance misuse conditions can practice love, mercy, and hope. We start with ourselves and then branch out to our brothers and sisters in Recovery. The spiritual acts of love, mercy, and hope are things we can actually do. Pam reminds us, “We don’t have to have expert skills, we just need to have a willing heart.”
Simply put, loving ourselves and our neighbor are works of healing.
In Part #9 of this series on mercy and love, next we will learn how to sustain/nurture love, mercy, and hope into our Recovery.
12 Steps to Health
Hope ≈ Healing ≈ Health
1. We dedicate ourselves to Recovery; our lives have purpose and meaning.
2. We believe a Power greater than ourselves is the path to hope, healing, and health.
3. We contemplate daily how faith in our Higher Power and Recovery Community can bring us peace.
4. We educate ourselves and find the courage to strive for the highest level of health and well-being.
5. We communicate our Plan of Recovery with our Higher Power, ourselves, and another human being.
6. We allow our Higher Power to be the lighthouse in our lives.
7. We humbly ask our Higher Power to reveal his unconditional love and ongoing presence within us.
8. We acknowledge our behaviors have impacted our relationships. We list those affected by our behavior and whenever possible become willing to reconcile or thank them for their support during a relapse or mental health crisis.
9. We seek mutual reconciliation for a harmful action we committed and seek forgiveness from those we harmed or who were impacted by our behavior. Then, let go of our shame because it no longer serves a purpose in our lives. We understand we were designed because we are loved and to be in relationships with other people.
10. We continually review our Plan of Recovery with our Higher Power, support team, and those we trust.
11. We recognize our shortcomings in recovery while discovering our Higher Power is the source of our strength and mercy. We learn to rely on our Higher Power for the courage to heal through prayer, reflection, mindfulness, and, when necessary, seeking professional support.
12. We gain insight into our recovery through our Higher Power as we model these steps and share our journey toward hope, healing, and health with people.
Adapted From 12 Steps of Alcoholics/Depressed Anonymous by Larry Winter and Collene Spaeth
Revised: 6/5/20
SuperHuman Being
Peace
Larry
email: ljw@superhumanbeing.net
website: https://superhumanbeing.net/