A servant's heart

I get back far more than I give

“…for true leaders in A.A. are but trusted and experienced servants of the whole.”

-Tradition Nine (long form)

I will soon by finishing up my second service commitment of the past year and a half. I was the committee secretary for our area spring conference and assembly. My other commitment as hospitality chair to the National Corrections Convention ended in November. It has been a whirlwind of meetings, agendas, minutes, buying coffee, signing up volunteers, and suiting up and showing up. I have been busy, busy, busy. And it is coming to an end. But that is not the story I want to tell you today.

The story I want to share is what I have observed from others who are trusted servants. Sober people who are fairly young in their sobriety—a couple of years sober—who have taken a great chance on taking on service commitments, even when they were very afraid and apprehensive about doing so. How brave these men and women are. They show up, they ask questions, they get help when they don’t know what to do next. They have an honest humility about the job they are doing. And they are carrying A.A.’s message. Finally, they are themselves staying sober. They know they have to show up and be accountable. It is an incredible thing to watch. An absolute transformation from the self-centered life to other-centered service.

Don’t get me wrong: service drives me crazy. I know it is service because it is work. It is not fun. There is enjoyment in the process—but there is an equal amount of frustration. But I really believe that is why it works. Just like working intensely with a sponsee, service work takes me out of myself and keeps me in just this one day. This twenty-four hours. The present.

And as one of my favorite Al-Anon slogans goes, “When I got busy, I got better.” Al-Anon really encouraged me to get involved in service with this constant message, and I know why. It removed my obsessive focus on the alcoholic. And it is a way to get to immerse myself in my program, where I get to really create bonds and friendships with other people in recovery.

I am accountable when I am in a service position for my group or for the district, convention, or area. Accountability is a spiritual principal. When I was new, I learned to be accountable to my sponsor and to my group as a sober member. And as I grew up in sobriety and my circle of WE increased, I became accountable to the people I provided AA service for.

Just as a grateful heart never drinks, neither does a servant heart. All of us who serve are really serving the One who serves us all and whom has given us the model of his love and service—and that One is God.