from 'The 12 Steps for Adult Children':

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

In almost every house with children there is a certain wall or doorpost with pencil marks. These pencil marks, which have dates or ages next to them, keep track of growth...

Step 12 is a time for noticing growth. Through God's goodness and our commitment to work the Steps, we have had a life-changing spiritual experience. We began this journey as frightened tyrants clinging to control our own little kingdoms. But we end this round of our journey with a new king on the throne: God. Although we know we have grown through this process, the mark on the wall is a little shorter - its minus the crown...

We can prepare for Step 12 by ensuring that our Higher Power has been a part of every aspect of our program. If we have merely added God as an ingredient to our recovery, we will not notice any spiritual awakening in Step 12. If we have kept control in our own hands, we will find no spiritual awakening now. However, the spiritual awakening of Step 12 will be ours if we have done all of the following: relied upon our Higher Power's presence, worked the Steps in partnership with God, and surrendered control of our will and lives...

Step 12 requires that we are instrumental in helping others receive God's message of hope and healing through working the 12 Steps. Many of us were introduced to this program by someone who was working Step 12. Now we have the opportunity to promote our own growth by helping others. We look for ways to share our new confidence because of our commitment to recovery and our growing awareness of God's presence in our lives. This program calls us to live our program daily and explain to others the effectiveness of 12 Step principles...

This Step reminds us that we have not yet completed our journey to wholeness. To continue our process of growth, we need to be aware that we have just begun to learn the principles that will improve the quality of our lives. Each of the 12 Steps is a vital part of fulfilling God's plan for us. ..

Our spiritual awakening is a gift that instills in us a new perspective. It is usually accompanied by a significant change in our value system...

"Actions speak louder than words' is an accurate description of how we should carry the 12 Step message to others. It is more effective to witness a principle being applied than to hear lectures on theory alone. For example, sharing our own experiences of prayer and meditation has more meaning than simply lecturing and explaining why everyone should meditate and pray. Telling our story will help others recognize their need for a relationship with God and encourage the growth of our own humility. Carrying the message gives us the opportunity to describe the ways in which our Higher Power works through the 12 Steps to transform our lives... Through our sharing, we can convey the message of our experience, strength and hope...

Our relationship with God is the key to our success in everything, particularly in working the Steps and applying the principles in our daily affairs. We cannot allow ourselves to drift into indifference and neglect our commitment to living according to the will of our Higher Power. Life constantly reminds us that we need to be prepared to face temptations and trials. But, with God's help, we can transform them into occasions for growth and comfort to ourselves and to those around us. We will never achieve peace and serenity without God's help and guidance.

Sometimes we become discouraged and lose sight of our progress. If this happens, we can compare our past to our present...

An important achievement in working the Steps occurs when we become accustomed to 'living' the Steps. We do this by habitually taking a problem or concern through the Steps, while acknowledging our need for God's support and guidance. The result is peace and serenity and a new confidence that we can deal directly with the problems. Any action we take is then guided by God's will and our honest appraisal of the consequences. we can act confidently and without fear.