Today's Reading - The Language of Letting Go

Step Twelve The Twelfth Step says that having had a spiritual awakening, we try to carry this message to others. Our message is one of hope, love, comfort, health - a better way of life, one that works. How do we carry it? Not by rescuing. Not by controlling. Not by obsessing. Not by becoming evangelists for the recovery cause. We carry the message in many small, subtle, but powerful ways. We do our own recovery work and become a living demonstration of hope, self-love, comfort, and health. These quiet behaviors can be a powerful message. Inviting (not ordering or demanding) someone to go to a meeting is a powerful way to carry the message. Going to our meetings and sharing how recovery works for us is a powerful way to carry the message. Being who we are and allowing our Higher Power to guide our actions are powerful ways to carry the message. Often, we find ourselves carrying the message more effectively than we do when we set out to reform, convince, or coerce someone into recovery. Caretaking and controlling are not ways to carry the message. All those behaviors carry is codependency.