True Family

  

After talking with my brother and looking at the subject of a father's wishes in Proverbs yesterday, I am now looking at the changes in family perception that I might have.  

When I first came to AA, I thought "family" meant only those I was born to. Yet over time, I found a new family — not one linked by blood, but by mutual love, service, and a shared journey out of darkness.  

AA teaches me that God often gifts me with a family I never expected. Each meeting, each service commitment, and each person I sponsor deepens those bonds. We are brought together not by chance, but by divine design, a royal priesthood called to carry light into the world.  

In AA, we put our hearts and minds together — not to relive the wreckage of the past — but to create a new life for ourselves and those who come after us. Through respect, joy, and service, we build a family that reflects the love and freedom God intended.  

  

Today, I give thanks for the family I have found — the one God created through recovery, fellowship, and love. So my current sense of belonging rises first with the members of AA.  As Richard Bach has said: "The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life." We have heard it said: " You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." -- Desmond Tutu  

Yet, In the case of AA, I feel the members of our program are also God's gift to us.  I truly feel we " are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9 

 

"The fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous has become the main center of their lives. They have found a new family." (12x12)   AA very literally says new family! It’s a family chosen through healing and hope. 

•  "We are people who normally would not mix. But there exists among us a fellowship, a friendliness, and an understanding which is indescribably wonderful." (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 17) 

• "When we drew near to Him He disclosed Himself to us! ... We had discovered a common solution." (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25) 

• Spiritually speaking, this mirrors the 1 Peter verse: being called into the light, forming a chosen people through recovery. 

AA promises not just a fellowship but a family filled with happiness, service, and shared hope: 

• "We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free. We cannot subscribe to the belief that this life is a vale of tears, though it once was just that for many of us."  (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 133) 

• "Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail." (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 89) 

• "Helping others is the foundation stone of your recovery. A kindly act once in a while isn’t enough. You have to act the Good Samaritan every day, if need be."  

• "Cling to the thought that, in God's hands, the dark past is the greatest possession you have — the key to life and happiness for others."  (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 124) 

  

Today, I give thanks for the family I have found — the one God created through recovery, fellowship, and love.   

 

Reflection: 

Am I showing up for my AA family with the same love, respect, and joy that I would for those closest to me? How can I strengthen the bonds of the true family God has given me today? 

 "God, help me to be a true family member to those You've placed in my life today, showing love, service, and joy."