Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭11

Response to love is love. It’s the hard, callous heart that buckles under love.

Certainly, there are many whose hearts do not reflect a thing, and in whose eyes there is a cold sea.

And there are others who do not acknowledge anything to be grateful for. To them, this is all chance and fortune.

For those who believe, for those who are coming to believe, for those who want and need and desire for there to be more…there is good news.

We find this good news inherent within us but also revealed before us as we begin to dig.

The twelve steps are a great start, a wonderful melting pot to straighten us out. But their entire intent is to introduce or reintroduce us to God.

The purpose of the Big Book of AA is to “show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered”.

The admission of the Big Book of AA is that its main objective “is to enable you to find a Power greater than yourself which will solve your problem.”

It’s not about telling people what to do and then having the willpower to live well.

It’s about sharing our own experiences and shortcomings with others and seeking God to steer us and direct us.

And God emulates this very thing for us through his Son. In love, he came. In grace, he lived. In obedience, he died. In power, he rose. In truth, he reigns.

For the skeptic, this is tough. It strips all power from us. If this is true, we are forced to reconcile with the fact that we are subjects to this God.

For the believer, this is a good reference to return to. Though we’ve gone our own way, there remains a clear path back. As clear as it ever was, in fact.

Because all go astray.

Thank God for the steps of recovery. They lead many to sobriety. Sobriety makes many open minded enough to consider or return to the Lord.

And he is good—it’s never too late to follow.

God, guide me as I follow you.