PRINCIPLES BEFORE PERSONALITIES
As the Twelve Traditions are read at meetings we attend, we usually join the reader on the final phrase with the words, “principles before personalities.”
Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. (Luke 1:46-50 NLT)
God sees all of us as individuals. We don’t have to be rich or famous. God finds the little ones, the hurting ones, the forgotten ones, and does such amazing things in each of our lives that generations down the line will have stories to tell of how we were blessed and were also a blessing to others.
Our lives are not lived in isolation. Not only are we connected to the family members we know, but to a long line of ancestors and those who will come after us, those still to be born. We don’t know all the people our lives will impact but God does. As we give our will and our life into His care, He will pour His strength and love and forgiveness and healing into us, which in turn, will enable us to forgive the sins of those who have harmed us in the past and also give us the desire to assist those who need our help now and in the future.
We are the most unlikely of persons to influence others for good and yet that’s exactly who we are because it is “principles before personalities” and the principle that God operates on is that He can make something wonderful out of every life surrendered to Him. It’s not our own strength we rely on because we know we are powerless, but the Mighty One, the God who did great things for Mary, is also ready and able to do great things for us. With Mary our hearts respond and say, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord, how my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I desire to be a person who is known for great good rather than for great harm. Thank You for taking notice of me and for doing great things in and for me. Help me to be a person who will do great things for others because You live in me. Amen
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