When I first walked through the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous I had no idea what to expect. Though quickly I was able to see what worked in others - a belief in and dependence upon God. As Bill once said "Would I have it? Of course I would."The Sixth Step of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous is "We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character." We learn through the program of Alcoholics Anonymous that alcohol is but a symptom of our true malady, our true malady is in fact self-centered fear. We are afraid we are not going to get what we want, afraid that we are going to lose what we have. Once our fears are triggered we reach for our character defects in an attempt to satiate our human instincts. The dictionary defines defect as, "the lack of something necessary for completion or perfection."
We learn in the Fourth Step of the program that it is necessary to find out what it is about us that keeps the Grace of God from our lives. It is in doing this that we discover the exact nature of our wrongs, as we make the list of our defects. In the Fifth Step of the program we confess our character defects. Then, in the Sixth Step, we are entirely ready and willing to have these defects removed.
It is our character defects that keep us from the perfection of God - from becoming the human being God created each of us to be and not the self-centered people who care only for their human desires and what they think they need in life. A person who is willing to use almost any means necessary to fulfill their desires is sick.
With all of our human flaws we can become the being God created us to be when we turn from our human nature and surrender to His will.
Written by Armand
The person I was created to be is the person who resides in my innermost self - like a pearl in an oyster. The living lesson of Recovery is that the human personification of me must reach into my deepest soul where my spirit lives, either awakened or unawakened. By incorporating all Twelve Steps into my life, I have developed an intimately personal relationship with The Power Within me. That has led to the awakening, the spiritual experience, the personality change necessary for me to live a sane and useful life. I faced myself in Step Four, forgave myself in Step Five, and began to love myself in Step Six. Becoming me has been a process just as losing me was. The difference is that becoming the person I was born to be does not involve my mind. My mind is what lost me. Becoming me is to be wholly integrated into my spirit in a way whereby my highest function is to simply give myself away. That is the work that must be done to recover from my formerly hopeless state of mind and body. As I understand it, that is the point of recovery.
ReplyDeleteMichael love when you wrote "becoming the person I was born to be does not involve my mind." In the sense that our thought process is no longer propelled by our human instinct but rather by the will of God through inspiration...Thahk you...Armand
DeleteThis Comment Is From A Grayefully Recovering Alcoholic
ReplyDeleteArmand, thanks again for sharing.
Once this portion of the process is apprehended, I soon discover that I no longer fear the loss of the life once lived for it has been cast, like so much refuse, into the garbage pail of sinful actions forgiven and forgotten by the Creator of all. An inexplicable shift in paradigm has occurred, the animal appetite needs no longer be sated, my fleshly desires have lost their allure, the obsession has been removed. In its place grows a consuming desire to drink at the Masters well.
Life on life's terms becomes a joy filled adventure as I engage in frequent visits to the mercy seat of the one who refines me in the fire of His love. It is a miracle, as a new and unspeakably holy freedom is experienced and explored, the old life has passed away, a new life begun.
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic
a Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic the surrender that must occur if one is to actually recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body is that my thought process is no longer propelled by my human instinct but rather by the will of God. It is the decision made in the Third Step...Thank You...Armand
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