The basis of all twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is humility, the spirit of
which is necessary as our egos must be deflated. Admitting to our innermost self that we are alcoholic, learning to trust
in God and making a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the
care of God are all steps on the road to humility. In the Fourth
Step, identifying who we are and acceptance of what that means is ego
deflating and humbling. But for me, the biggest step in accepting
humility, but not the last, was the Fifth Step - in which I shared my
Fourth Step list, the deepest darkest side of myself, with myself, God
and another human being.
In the Seventh Step
we offer all of
ourselves, the good and the bad, to God to do with us as He would have
us do so that our human character defects do not manifest themselves
in our behavior. Another step in humility occurs as we go out and make
our amends, reconciling the wrongs we have done in the past. And
finally in the Eleventh Step, where a recovered alcoholic resides,
praying only for the knowledge of God's will for us and the power to
carry that out, can only be performed with a humble spirit.
It is humility which unlocks the door to the grace of God. Only
through a humbled spirit may we recover from a seemingly hopeless
state of mind and body. Humility is absolutely necessary.
As you've stated and the Big Book clearly demonstrates, humility grows stronger within each of us as we incorporate and practice all Twelve Steps in our lives. In that context, humility does become an actual tool for recovery. In the strictest sense, the tool for recovery and the greatest benefit of that tool are one and the same. Humility begets humility in the process of AA recovery. The ability to trust enough to let go of ourselves is the only way to find ourselves. For me, that process has only been possible by developing and trusting The Power within me to guide me in all my activities. The Presence and Love of that Power is the essence of humility.
ReplyDeleteMichael I like thinking of humility as the knowledge of and acceptance of who I am. This can only occur for me through the grace of god and there is no possible way for me to access that grace without humility. I am not God and without the direction of God in my life or as Bill says "the necessity of belief in and dependence upon God" I would have not recovered...Thank you...Armand .
ReplyDeleteThis Comment Is From A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic
ReplyDeleteArmand,
Anything less than the "complete surrender" of our ego, that is, personhood and spirit to the Person of God in the 4th and 5th step shows that we are still under the delusion that we still somehow possess the leverage to negotiate the "terms and conditions of our surrender" allowing us to carry on with our lives as though alcohol or any other substance abuse issue was our only problem and were it not for that "daemon rum" life would be just dandy. However, much like a marriage, the purpose of executing these steps in the presence of either an AA sponsor or other spiritual advisor is to have a temporal witness to this deeply humbling spiritual commitment. It is the surrender to God in the presence of another that propels us through the birth pains of a new and eternal relationship between God, and in my case, man.
As long as this alcoholic entertains any thought or imagining that God wants me to climb back into the drivers seat and direct life's tour would easily come under the definition of insanity and the basic foundation of the mental meanderings of a megalomaniac. It reminds me of the bumper stickers I've seen that say "God is my Co-Pilot". I want to run up to the driver and fervently encourage them to pry their fingers off the "wheel" and quickly "swap seats", for although that type of thinking provides, in this case, a form of spiritual walk it completely lacks the Power of the Author and Finisher of the journey as we now mistakenly rely upon Him to accomplish our will with His power inevitably experiencing all the frustrating pain of defeat until finally placeing the keys in His perfectly capable hands. Simply put, This alcoholic is incapable of self-generating the serenity spoken of in the Big Book. Never could, never will.
Serenity, is a gift of God to all who "humble themselves and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways", For then His eyes shall be open and His ears attentive to the prayers of this place. And thus, He says, "I shall grant you a time of refreshment". That, my brother, is serenity.
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic.
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic The purpose of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is to take us from a thought process that is propelled by our human instinct to one that is propelled by the will of God through inspiration. Inspiration is defined as the thoughts of God implanted in the mind and soul of man. It is how a recovered alcoholic lives. One who lives this way has a humble spirit...Thank you...Armand
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