“Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us.” – The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 77
What does that mean? How can we be “of maximum service”?
When we embark on our new boulevard of sobriety, we may feel lost and confused. Our proverbial, internal GPS may not have a way to register the new direction in which we are traveling.
What do we do? Where do we go? What’s our purpose? Our instructions for living a sober, healthy, productive life is summed up in that very sentence on page 77. Our purpose is to ask how and then subsequently serve all instead of expecting the world and the people in it to serve us.
Serving others can be as simple as smiling at a stranger and being patient in line at the bank. The way we treat people, whether we feel like being nice or not, is one of the ways that we are of service. Our moment of being kind can assist in completely shifting someone’s day, just as our being rude can affect a person’s outlook and how they then treat the people around them.
The main way we can be of service is by sponsoring and working with the newly sober as we guide them through the Twelve Steps outlined in the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous. As we work with others, and give away what has so freely been given to us, we begin to understand the true idea of service. As we extend our sober hand to those who may be currently downtrodden, we lift up not only the person but the entire world.