Our journey through the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous teaches us the value of daily inventory. Much can be discovered and the inner self can be transformed as we move away from the instincts of our human nature and progress into the world of the Spirit. We realize there is no need to wait until the end of each day to perform such an inventory, as we can address the manifestation of our defects as they occur. The book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous says, "There is the spot check inventory, taken at any time of the day that we find ourselves getting tangled up." This may be as simple as identifying unkind thoughts that we have of people who are not like us in appearance or beliefs, so that we can reveal and deal with the thoughts as they are happening...and not wait until the end of the day to address such things.
When we have completed the first nine steps of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous we have extricated ourselves from the past and freed ourselves of the shame and guilt we carried for so many years. By implementing a daily inventory and progressing it steadily into a spot check inventory, we can tackle the manifestation of our character defects as they occur in the present so that in this moment and at this time we are free of the instincts of our human nature and one with God.
We have unraveled, treated and released our past and are now free of the bondage of self - we are at peace in the will of God. Discovery through inventory is a crucial tool of recovery, existing so as not to create yet another unpleasant past that we are burdened to carry into the present.
Written by Armand
For me, the journey of Discovery must be continually filtered through The Twelve Steps of Recovery. At times, that process is completely without thought; just a revelation made viable through incorporating all The Steps into my life until they become my life. I know of nothing greater than living a life of Recovery. Of living in the present by being able to forget the past and to forgo the future. To avoid errors of habit and to replace them with visions into my inner and higher self. The use of the daily inventory is essential in that pursuit as it can redirect my thinking and behavior from a downturn to an upturn in an instant. In this way, I not only learn but I also feel much more about and of myself. I feel something warm, something new. For me, that is where Recovery and Discovery intersect, and where new Internal life is born. I can then move from the strictly human version of me to an awareness of the presence of The Power Within me - the ultimate source of the worth of my life.
ReplyDeleteMichael so well said. Especially like "where recovery and discovery intersect, and where new internal life is born." A day without reflection is a day without growth. But perceived growth propelled by a thought process initiated by our human instinct is not the growth God demands of us. A complete and utter surrender of our thought process to the will of God is the life of a recovered alcoholic. This life is brought about by the surrender of our nature discovered through inventory. Once I asked God "what is it you want of me? Gods reply "all of you."...Thank you... Armand
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