How Some of the AA Promises Have Come True in My Life
There are two sets of promises in recovery that, old-timers (those who have been in the program awhile) say will come true if you work the steps of AA in your life.
One set in particular is found on pages 83 and 84 and they include such gems as “We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness” and “We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.” (Source: Alcoholics Anonymous).
Another is “We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.” I have experienced some of this particular promise at various times of my life. It’s being calm inside despite the storm that is swirling around you.
One of my favorites is “No matter how far the scale we have gone we will see how our experience can benefit others.” I used to not think I had anything to offer in this area but I have grown since then. Now I have a sponsee for the first time in Alcoholics Anonymous and I have much to offer her, I feel and so does she. For example, when I thought I knew it all and could “cure” myself I found out that I was woefully wrong. I can pass on that experience to her as well as financial lessons I’ve learned that I see her struggling with. We also have a lot in common in terms of our pasts and patterns. For instance, when it comes to relationships sometimes we tend to settle for less.
“We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows” is another promise. I used to be very selfish. Sometimes I can still be a little selfish but I’m nothing like I used to be. I’m remembering particularly in my 20s I was especially selfish in all my relationships. Everything was about me and I went through life wearing blinders, having tunnel vision and only caring about how the end of any result was going to affect me. Now I help others, do volunteer work, and try to do something daily to be of service whether that means manning the phones for AA Central Office, giving someone a ride, or donating my time or energy to something.
Another promise is written as “Self-seeking will slip away.” I used to try to get my way in everything, manipulating my way into people’s good will, even when I was sober. I’m not proud of this but I am thankful that I have grown up since then. To give you an example, I used to bounce checks willy-nilly, not caring who I was screwing over, just wanting to get my fix whether it be a new item at Victoria’s Secret or a fancy dinner at an Italian restaurant. I got up every day only interested pretty much in what I was going to get out of the day instead of what I could bring to the situation. I never listened to people, either. I pretended to to get what I wanted or to appease others. Now, I’ve kind of gone to the other extreme so I need to find a balance.
“We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us” is another one of my favorites. I have been in so many scenarios that looking back I don’t know how I handled it. I had no clue how to sponsor anyone, really, though I had had a lot of sponsors and instructions. But, through trial and error and remembering what was taught to me, I got the hang of it and still am doing so. For a long time my old debts were overwhelming but no longer. Now I just take it piece by piece, slowly knocking the list down and seeing my way clear for the future.
“We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves” is a promise that I have seen come true over and over. I testified in a case when I was a child advocate back in ’96 and I wouldn’t have had any idea what to do if I hadn’t had some higher guidance. This is a promise that often runs through my head whenever some miracle happens. Like when I was pregnant and knew I’d have to place my child for adoption for many reasons. I prayed for two weeks as to what to do because I didn’t want to be haunted by the wrong decision. That was another “God deal.” I’ve seen a Higher Power’s hand in job interviews, medical situations, illnesses, bill collecting, and moves across the country.
And when I finally let my ex-husband go by giving him the divorce so he could be with the person he was supposed to be with, that was a God-conscious decision.
