A demonstration of God’s power
Another year sober and still learning
“In the face of collapse and despair, in the face of the total failure of their human resources, they found that a new power, peace, happiness, and sense of direction flowed into them. This happened soon after they whole-heartedly met a few simple requirements.”
-Alcoholics Anonymous p. 50
Yesterday I celebrated 18 years of continuous sobriety in the AA program. I am truly humbled by the life God has given me—the seemingly simple gift of a life without the destruction of alcohol.
I am visiting a friend in another state, and therefore, as I usually do, I downloaded a book study to listen to in the car. This one was Mark H. in 2008 in Cabo San Lucas. I loved it when he emphasized the following:
“Instead, we let Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do.” (p. 68)
For those of us who know our Big Book pretty well, this statement falls near the end of that incredible paragraph at the end of the fear inventory in Step Four. That paragraph alone produces such great one-liners as “faith means courage”, “we never apologize for God”, and even “at once, we commence to outgrow fear.”
But Mark asks us to consider the actual and very real power God gives us: we are the living demonstration of God’s power. He also states that many AA’s will consider this heresy. But I think he is correct. After all, wasn’t lack of power my dilemma? It wasn’t alcohol—even though I spent years trying to access this power through the bottle.
Take, for example, any one person you have helped in the program. Perhaps it is a newcomer you have guided through sponsorship or by listening to on the phone—or even by giving them rides to meetings. God is demonstrating THROUGH YOU the power that you never possessed in your disease. You are the real demonstration of the power of AA working to this new person—and that is significant.
The needed power wasn’t there, and then by working the Steps, it is. Magical. Extraordinary. Simple.
As for me, I am so grateful today. Thank you, God and AA, for the incredible awareness I get day by day. Today I have another tool to use to help someone else. Alcoholics Anonymous is truly a miraculous program.