12 Steps to Spiritual Recovery
Introduction
What is spiritual recovery? To recover something is to regain possession of a thing you already own. Jesus gave a parable of a woman who had ten coins and lost one. She searched her house until she recovered her lost coin. Like the woman, we are not seeking to earn another coin. We are recovering something that is ours already, but we have temporarily lost sight of it. What have we lost? We have lost our conscious connection with the truth of who and what we are at the spiritual level.
You have undoubtedly heard or read some version of the idea that you are not a physical being seeking to develop your spiritual nature. You are a spiritual being presently inhabiting a physical body. Because the body and its needs have required so much of our attention, an experiential understanding of our spiritual nature has taken a backseat to our material needs. We interact with life through a body-based self-image. We have become accustomed to giving much ost of our attention to this surface personality. We spend much time and energy trying to build it up with the hope of achieving a sense of fulfillment. We obviously have many material interests and obligations that should not be ignored. But neither should we ignore the fleeting feelings of satisfaction that our accomplishments bring.
In his youth, prior to his spiritual awakening, someone described St. Francis as restless, dissatisfied; vaguely conscious of something essential to his peace, as yet unfound. While most of us can identify with this feeling, like the younger Francis we may not be so clear about this missing something essential to our peace.
It’s very simple. The missing element that is essential to your peace is you.
This earthly life truly is a journey that provides no destination. You are the destination. Coming to know who and what you are as a spiritual being enables you to see this journey in an entirely new way.
Spiritual recovery is the process of bringing into your awareness the true spiritual self that you have always been but have forgotten. The woman with the missing coin did what was necessary to recover that which she already possessed. The following steps can help you do the same.
The Steps
1. I accept that God as Spirit is the one presence and one power of good now active in my life.
2. Divine love draws to me that which is for my highest good and dissolves that which is not.
3. I affirm that I am guided by the infinite wisdom of God.
4. I am willing to release all preconceived beliefs about God, myself, and my relationship with God.
8. I seek to be fully present in this now moment, the only place I can be.
9. I treat each day as an opportunity to see and experience God in all people, places, and things.
10. I continue to examine my old religious beliefs and seek to recognize them when they interfere with my desire for greater freedom.
11. I set aside quality time daily to know the presence of God through quiet meditation.
12. I make a conscious effort to practice these steps every day.