A New Freedom: Working The Steps

Today I worked steps 5,6, and 7 of the Alcoholics Anonymous program I q.  They are as follows:

Step 5: “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”

That took over an hour because my sponsor had me do a thorough inventory in step 4 where I “made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”. 

There were pages after pages after pages of being very specific about my past, the details involved and the things that I did wrong, where I was “selfish, dishonest, self-seeking, or afraid.”

Step 6: “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.” And having a looked at the evil 😈 that lies within me, the rebellion, the selfishness, the fear of inferiority, etc., I became entirely ready to have all these defects of character removed.  Tears were shed. 😭

Step 7: “Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.”

Well, let me share from pages 75 and 76 in the book Alcoholics Anonymous the process I went through. When we decide who is to hear our story, we waste no time. We have a written inventory and we are prepared for a long talk. We explain to our partner what we are about to do and why we have to do it. He should realize that we are engaged upon a life-and- death errand. Most people approached in this way will be glad to help; they will be honored by our confidence.

We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twist of character, every dark cranny of the past. Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience. The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe.

Returning home we find a place where we can be quiet for an hour, carefully reviewing what we have done. We thank God from the bottom of our heart that we know Him better. Taking this book down from our shelf we turn to the page which contains the twelve steps. Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask if we have omitted anything, for we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at last. Is our work solid so far? Are the stones properly in place? Have we skimped on the cement put into the foundation? Have we tried to make mortar without sand?

76
­If we can answer to our satisfaction, we then look at Step Six. We have emphasized willingness as being indispensable. Are we now ready to let God remove from us all the things which we have admitted are objectionable? Can He now take them all—every one? If we still cling to something we will not let go, we ask God to help us be willing.

When ready, we say something like this: “My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.” We have then completed Step Seven.

I had such a release in my spirit. I surrendered it all to almighty God Jehovah, and felt so elevated, so enlightened, so free.

I sang a few songs, few of the  older Christian songs.  I laughed. I smiled. I wept.

I’m clean and free nevermore to be haunted or trapped or enslaved. It’s almost like I’m a different woman now.

Thank you for letting me share my journey with you. And if no one else has told you yet today, I love you.