Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of the steps,
we tried to carry this message to others and to practice
these principles in all our affairs.
December 9
Recommended reading: 1 Thessalonians 1, 2, 3, and John 1 (review)
I have the grand privilege of visiting a local treatment facility in our community on a regular basis. I love that place! One of the reasons I enjoy my visits is because of the hospitality. I am always greeted warmly and with great enthusiasm. Sometimes I pop down there just for a cup of kindness. In a world that is sometimes harsh and unwelcoming, it’s nice to have a place to go where people treat you like you’re special.
According to scripture, this kind of loving kindness should be the hallmark of all our relationships. Is that true for you? (For further insights, you might check out our Insight quarterlies – “Finding Our Way Back to God Part I” and “Finding Our Way Back to God Part II”.) Just yesterday I ran into my local gas station for my daily cup of coffee. I was standing patiently in line, waiting to buy my java and chat with my friends behind the counter, when a lady came in and rammed me and several other patrons out of the way. She was rude, and she knew it. This is not the first time I’ve experienced this, nor will it be the last. But the thing that really got to me was that she didn’t even care! She knew she was pushing her way past three previously patiently waiting customers, but by gosh, she felt she was entitled! She treated my buddies behind the counter like they were her personal servants! She was demanding, and with all her snazzy clothes and sporty car—quite frankly, it made her look very unattractive.
The contrast between her belligerent behavior and the warm kindness of the guys in my favorite rehab facility is startling. This lady had a lot of stuff those guys don’t have right now: she had wheels, she had money, and she had really great clothes. But what my friends in treatment have far outweighs all that stuff; they have gratitude. They are grateful to have a warm place to stay while they heal. This gratitude just spills out of most of them and onto anyone who comes through the door. I have spent the better part of my day marveling at how differently we can perceive our worlds. Depending on our viewpoint, life can be marvelous with little or miserable with much.
Thought for today: “So, my dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.” James 1:16-18 (The Message)
Thought for tomorrow: The twelfth step sets a course for us: carry the message. But it is predicated upon this condition: having had a spiritual awakening. One indicator that we’re awake spiritually is when we’re grateful for the privilege of carrying the message, no matter the circumstances surrounding us. May it be so for us all!
December 9
Teresa McBean
Previous devotionals
Other links: www.crosswalk.com & NACR Online
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