A True Mission

Sometimes I am confronted with taking a 12-step call when it is not convenient. Let's say I had made plans to take a hike or go to the gym. Even more conflicting, I am scheduled to meet with a sponsee about their program. It has happened, and I have followed the path of the AA Responsibility Statement:

"I am responsible. When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA always to be there. And for that, I am responsible."

What About the Sponsee?

Based on the experience of my past, I asked the sponsee to join in. To me, carrying the message includes setting the example for the sponsee. By doing this, we bring service to the alcoholic who still suffers and, in many cases, allow the sponsee to fully comprehend how unmanageable alcohol is to a friend who is still suffering.

I find the application of the above philosophy a guide to living my life not only in AA but in service to my church mission and working with the homeless. The whole foundation of discipleship work is to carry the message and train those who will lead after you.

Timeless Wisdom on Service

As Mahatma Gandhi expressed:

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

Similarly, Pericles said:

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."

Biblically, this is highlighted in 1 Peter 4:10:

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace."

And in 3 Nephi 27:21, I am taught:

"Ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do."

In Summary

"It is not enough simply to be converted to the gospel; we must also remain true to the gospel and labor to help others become converted." — Elder David A. Bednar 

“Our mission in the world is to save souls, to bless them, and to place them in a condition that they may go back into the presence of our Father, crowned with glory, immortality, and eternal life. Let kindness, joy, and peace characterize our efforts, and be a blessing to our Father’s children wherever it may be our privilege to roam.”  -- George Albert Smith, July 1945  

One can substitute the AA program in any of the above quotes. Whether in recovery, in discipleship, or in serving the homeless, the true mission is to carry the message and prepare others to lead.