Mark Dohle
Well-Known Member
Seeking God in the midst of our struggles
11th Step: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
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The 11th Step group was here this weekend. We have three AA groups that meet here. One is named the “Big Book Group”, the second calls itself “Serenity”, and of course, the third is the “11th Step”. Each group is my favorite while they are here. I have grown to know and love many of them, and have a deep respect for their living out the 12-step program. Which takes courage, persistence, humility, and a deep trust in God to live it out as faithfully as possible.
Two of the group emphasize silence, and the third is based more on of fellowship, which is also an important aspect of the AA program. Each does a great deal of good for those who participate, and some have been coming here for many years.
These are people who are open about their struggles and seek to deepen their faith and trust in “Their Higher Power”, as well as to be of service to others. Some of course do a better job than others, but all, even in spite of failures, take the next step and try to live in the moment. Many have had many decades of sobriety, and are very humble about their success since they depend on their higher power to see them through. Even if a member ‘goes out, when they come back and take a ‘white chip’, they are applauded and welcomed back, no matter how often it happens.
I am no different than them since while I do not have some major addiction that I struggle with, I still have aspects of my own inner life that I have to fight to keep in line. So like them, I have a need for God’s grace, and when I fail, to trust in God’s mercy and compassion for me, and also for everyone.
I learn a lot from them, perhaps more than what they learn from me when we talk. They are a people seeking to open up their hearts to God's love, which is God’s strength, and in that, many become true servants of others.
The 12 Steps are for everyone I believe, and doing the steps can only be of help to anyone who feels the need, or desire to do so.-In doing the 12 Steps, it is impossible to fall into simply being a victim of our past, the steps are a call to personal responsibility.-Br.MD