12 steps for everyone

Those who know me know that my involvement with music at my church is a big part of my life. This year that commitment involved the addition of co-leading the large group music/worship time at a weekly ministry called Celebrate Recovery (CR). (And by “co-leading” I mean I just show up and sing while my husband does the other 90% of the work.) CR is a nationally recognized, Christian-based recovery ministry for people struggling with all kinds of life issues—from various addictions, codependency, depression, family members of people with these issues, etc. Incidentally, the CR meetings at my church were featured in this month’s issue of the Minnesota Christian Chronicle if you care to check it out in detail.

Here’s the interesting thing I have learned through my weekly attendance during a portion of these meetings… the 12 steps that everyone associates with AA and other programs aimed at addictions are totally applicable to every person on the planet. Suggestions like turning our lives/will over to God, asking God to remove our character defects, admitting wrongs, making amends, etc. amount to guidance we could all use to enjoy more freedom from the heavy stuff of life that we all deal with in varying degrees during our lives. I guess that realization has been somewhat of an aha moment for me. I’m no different than the other fantastic people at CR who are trying to gain some victory over their “hurts, habits, and hang-ups.” I don’t know if that knowledge makes me feel more or less “normal,” but it has definitely given me more awareness of some valuable steps. And getting those weekly reminders of biblically based recovery principles has actually been good for me, so I just thought I’d pass it on!