I hope wherever you are, you know Recovery is with you right where you are.
I invite you to take a walk with me down memory lane. What do you think the vision for Recovery was in the beginning? And what is it today? Recovery has always been more than a program. It is a way of life. We share a common journey.
Recovery has always been about living in community. We work together, reflect together, and study the 12 Steps together. Recovery becomes the center of our daily lives because it draws us closer to God. We share meals, laugh together, and care for one another through mental health and substance use challenges. We allow the principles of the 12 Steps to guide our words, our choices, and the way we live each day.
We comfort one another in times of suffering. We also gently encourage each other to grow in Recovery. This is the vision many people in Recovery have shared with us. But has it always looked this way? Does it still?
Some family members and friends may doubt our ability to heal. Sometimes their doubts come from the choices we have made in the past. That can be painful, but it can also remind us that trust is rebuilt one day at a time through faithful living.
The first people in Recovery were not perfect, and neither are we. Yet there has always been a deep desire to seek truth, healing, and God. While not everyone shares that desire, many of us are searching for the best way to live a life of Recovery. That leads us to an important question: Are you and I doing all we can to live our Recovery each day?
The renewal that Recovery—and our world—so desperately need begins in the human heart. It begins when we let go of the illusion of control and surrender our hearts to God. Through Him, we embrace the Recovery journey with humility and hope. We allow the principles of the 12 Steps to shape our thoughts, our words, and our actions. As we do, God brings healing to our lives, our marriages, our families, our workplaces, our schools, our places of worship, our communities, and, little by little, our world.
The pioneers of Recovery were not driven by perfection. They were people who trusted God, practiced the principles of Recovery, and kept moving forward one day at a time. Their lives bore good fruit because they faithfully lived what they believed
Today, let us invite God to remain at the center of our lives and allow Recovery to become the path that draws us closer to Him. May we be protected from the temptation to believe we can handle life on our own. Lasting healing begins when we step aside, place God at the center of our hearts, and faithfully walk the path of Recovery one day at a time.
Remember, Recovery is happening right now, in this moment.