December 1: Comfort You Can Pass Along
What if the worst years of your life turned out to be the very thing that helps someone else?
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
This month walks through Step Twelve. In the original 1939 wording: “Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”
There are three parts there. First, something happened to you. A spiritual experience. Not necessarily a lightning bolt. For many people, it’s slow. A change in how you think, what you want, how you treat people. Something you couldn’t have done on your own. Second, you carry the message to others. Third, you live it out everywhere, not just at meetings.
Paul gives a beautiful reason for the second part. God comforts us in all our affliction, so that we can comfort others in theirs, with the same comfort we received. Your comfort doesn’t stop with you. It’s meant to be passed along.
Think about what that means for your story. The nights you thought you’d never get out. The shame. The wreckage. The first shaky days sober. The moment you realized God hadn’t given up on you. All of that was real pain. And all of it is now something you can offer. Not as a lecture. As a hand on someone’s shoulder. “I’ve been there. Here’s what helped.”
No one can comfort a newcomer quite like someone who’s walked the same road. A doctor can explain. A pastor can pray. But a person in recovery can say, “Me too,” and mean it. That’s a gift only you can give.
Step Twelve doesn’t require you to be an expert. It doesn’t require years of sobriety before you can help anyone. It requires that you’ve received something and are willing to pass it on. Even a few months of honest recovery is something to share with a person on day one.
This month, the readings will look at what that looks like. Telling your story. Serving at meetings and church. Helping without burning out. Living these principles at work and at home. Christmas, and the lonely edges of the holidays. Through all of it, the same idea: what God gave you, you give away.
One thing today
Think of one hard thing God brought you through. Write two sentences about it: what it was like, and what helped. That’s the beginning of your message.
A prayer
Father of mercies, You comforted me when I didn’t think I could be comforted. Don’t let that stop with me. Use what I’ve been through to help someone else. Show me who needs it. Amen.
This month we walk through Step Twelve.
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