Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all… (Jacob 2:17)
These words remind me of one of the most healing effects of twelve-step recovery work. Only after entering the program did I begin to see “my brethren” (other people) like unto myself—not better or worse than me, but the same, and thus,“familiar.”
As I listened to other addicts share, I heard them tell my story—even when their form of acting out was different than mine. Gradually I began to realize that we are all mortal, in a fallen state of existence and equally dependent on Christ’s Atonement. I began to shed my hard shell of what some call “terminal uniqueness” and began to realize that I was part of the human race.
I’ll never forget the day the words, “We’re all in this together,” really settled deep into my heart. It brought me to a place of compassion and understanding for myself, for my parents, and for others who had blundered into me in their own mortal confusion and blindness.
~Colleen H.
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