Without a doubt, a spiritual awakening is a common phrase in SA. It is mentioned in Step Twelve: “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps…” (SA, 6). If a spiritual awakening is essential to my program, why haven’t I set out to discover more about it?

Our SA members in Ghana committed themselves to do just that. For many months we had been planning a retreat for the end of September. We chose as a theme, “A Spiritual Awakening.” As a resource, we used a talk given by Roy K. in Adelphi, Maryland in July of 2007. It was at one of Roy’s last International Conventions. The talk was called, “Mission Impossible: The Essential Role of God in Lust Recovery.” In the talk, Roy acknowledges how important it was to hear the words in Steps Three and Eleven, “God as we understood Him.” Roy describes how he grew in his experience and appreciation of how God disclosed Himself to him. This was an awakening for him. Roy states:

The words “God as we understood Him” (Steps Three and Eleven) for me became ‘God as I have come to need and actually experience Him.’ So, the self-disclosure of God in my life has been a progressive thing based on my need and my response to that need…

Our SA members in Ghana are of different ages, different tribes, different religions and denominations, and varied length of experience in SA. Nonetheless, all of us who gathered at the retreat agreed that SA is a spiritual program. The way to find the spiritual awakening that Roy talks about is clear. He worked the Steps, attended meetings regularly, and continued to be in contact with his sponsor and his Higher Power. He was humble and ready when his disease drove him to his knees.

We could do no less. All of us at the retreat took time to rework Steps One, Two, and Three as suggested in Step into Action. This exercise prepared our spirits for change. After listening to the talk, we shared our journey with each other. Although none of us had a dramatic spiritual awakening, we did grow spiritually from this retreat. It was a humbling experience.

I believe a spiritual awakening is a progressive thing. Not because my Higher Power is hesitant to disclose Himself to me, but rather because I am not entirely ready. My surrender starts weakly, and then grows stronger in me until it becomes a desperate cry. Roy shared that God’s self-disclosure was progressive in his life. I believe my spiritual awakening will grow, too, as I ask Higher Power to meet my growing need for help.