August 20: Spiritual Principle a Day, read by Fern

Spiritual Principle a Day for August 20, read by Fern

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August 20

Practicing Service in All Our Affairs

"Service gives us opportunities to grow in ways that touch all parts of our lives."

—Basic Text, Chapter 9: Just for Today—Living the Program

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The Basic Text describes who we used to be in active addiction as “devious, frightened loners.” Many of us come to NA with very limited healthy and productive life experience.

We may never have held a legal, on-the-books job and don’t have the skills to get one. Or we may have skills and experience, but our dodgy work history reflects our using more than our employability. Our relationships, if they even still exist, are a mess—with our loved ones, with ourselves, with a Higher Power. Our self-serving behavior and our aversion to being truly vulnerable and intimate with others have kept us isolated. And then there’s the spiritual deadness so many of us arrive with—and either the hardness or the utter fearfulness that comes with it.

In meetings, we hear members share that their lives are “bigger,” “amazing,” and “beyond my wildest dreams.” Initially, we are skeptical at best, especially when they also tell us that it’s not because of material gains but because of what they’ve gained by being of service to Narcotics Anonymous. A member shared, “Through service, my relationship to humanity was restored.” Seriously? ALL of humanity?

Most of us get involved in service because we’re told, “That’s how we stay clean.” We don’t fully grasp its holistic benefits until we experience them ourselves. Through our NA commitments, we learn basic accounting, public speaking, and good communication skills.

We learn how to listen—in meetings, to a fellow member who needs to vent, to people we don’t even like. We learn how to treat others with respect when we disagree. We learn to show up to do the job no matter what. And more.

These are qualities we take with us wherever we go, in all our affairs. NA doesn’t just help us stay clean; it transforms us into people who can make a positive impact inside and outside of the rooms.

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Spiritual Principle:

What aspects of my life have been touched by NA service? Through service, what can I do today—at work, at home, or wherever I go—to make a positive impact?

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© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Welcome to the Voices of Recovery podcast.
This is your Spiritual Principleof the Day episode featuring a
recovering addict. Hi, my name is Fern.

(00:23):
My clean date is January 5th, 1984.
You're listening to the Voices of Recovery podcast.
This is the spiritual principle of the day for August 20th.
Practicing service in all our affairs.
Service gives us opportunities to grow in ways that touch all

(00:46):
parts of our lives. Basic text.
Chapter 9 just for today. Living the program, the basic
text describes who it used to bein active addiction.
As devious, frightened loners, many of us come to NA with

(01:06):
limited healthy and productive life experience.
We may never have held a legal on the books job and don't have
the skills to get one. Or we may have skills and
experience, but our dodgy work history reflects our using more
than our employability. Our relationships, if they even

(01:28):
still exist, are a mess. With our loved ones, with
ourselves, with a higher power. Our self-serving behaviour and
our aversion to being truly vulnerable and intimate with
others have kept us isolated. And then there's the spiritual
dreadness so many of us arrive with, and either the hardness or

(01:50):
the utter fearfulness that comesalong with it.
In meetings, we hear members share that their lives are
bigger and amazing and beyond mywildest dreams.
Initially, we are skeptical at best, especially when they also
tell us it's not because of material gains, but because of
what they've gained by being of service to Narcotics Anonymous.

(02:15):
A member shared. Through service, my relationship
to humanity was restored. Seriously, all of humanity.
Most of us get involved in service because we're told
that's how we stay clean. We don't fully grasp it's
holistic benefits until we experience them ourselves.

(02:39):
Through our commitments, we learn basic accounting, public
speaking, and good communicationskills.
We learn how to listen in meetings to a fellow member who
needs to vent to people who we don't even like.
We learn how to treat others with respect when we disagree.

(03:00):
We learn how to do the job no matter what, and more.
These are qualities we take withus wherever we go in all our
affairs. NA doesn't just help us stay
clean, it transforms us into people who can make a positive
impact inside and outside of therooms.

(03:22):
Spiritual principle. What aspects of my life have
been touched by any service through service?
What can I do today at work, at home, or wherever I go to make a
positive impact? The Voices of Recovery Podcast

(03:42):
is an independent production of the works of Wisdom.
We welcome your questions and donations via PayPal at
[e-mail]. This podcast is an independent
production and is not affiliatedwith, associated with,
authorized by, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected
with Narcotics Anonymous or any of its subsidiaries or

(04:04):
affiliates. While any literature may be read
during episodes for the purpose of supporting recovery, such use
does not constitute an official endorsement or representation by
Narcotics Anonymous. In accordance with any
tradition, the NA name is not tobe used to endorse or be
affiliated with any outside enterprise, and no such
endorsement or affiliation is implied.

(04:24):
Music is by Sage. Thanks for listening to the
Voices of Recovery podcast.