In the Third Step we made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God. The Fourth Step is the next step in the process, the purpose of which is to find out what it is about me that is keeping the grace of God from my life. It is through the grace of God that the healing occurs. Many spiritual traditions include a deep and thorough look at the past to discover the truth of what is uncovered. Alcoholics Anonymous is no different.As we work through the Fourth Step we may get the sense that the completed program of Alcoholics Anonymous will allow us, possibly for the first time, to be living our lives as God originally intended us to - free of the manifestation in our behavior of resentment, fear and anxiety. We will then become the human beings God created us to be and we will maximize our human potential, as the manifestation of our human nature is perfected in the will of God.
Written by Armand
I had to know. My life depended on it. I had to find out why my existence was dragged down beneath the level of acceptable standard of any sort. Doubt became fear, fear turned to self-loathing, self-loathing found alcohol. Alcohol buoyed me for a time, eventually knocking me to the lowest place a human can go - the jumping off place. In the Fourth Step I had to look fearlessly at what I most intimately feared - me. Through the guidance of a caring and knowing sponsor, I began to embrace the process of self-confrontation, as I knew that in not doing so, I would condemn myself to the darkness of bondage for the rest of my life. In truth, today I live as a free man, grateful for the healing wonder of this Step. Through it and all the other Steps, my spirit is awakened. The life-changing reward is that I get to live in that spirit and to freely give it away - the ultimate purpose of recovery.
ReplyDeleteMichael to find out what is it about me that is keeping the grace of God from my life is so important to the recovery process. It really helps to see the patterns of our behavior and the harm our behavior caused others...Thank you...Armand
DeleteArmand,
ReplyDeleteFor this gratefully recovering alcoholic the purpose of step 4 was to clearly identify my true moral state without the cloak or excuse of alcohol or any other drug of choice. Needless to say it wasn't pretty; wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and last but not least, gluttony were the undeniable motive force behind my every thought, word and deed.
I had to identify my life to this point as being the very essence of a reprobate mind immersed in total self-worship and fear. Now I discover that with or without the aid of intoxicants I justified my excesses with nonsensical arguments that could only have been birthed in the dark dank cellar of a self-deluded mind. Having discovered the true depth of my moral bankruptcy and that alcohol was not, and is not the motive force behind my debased core behaviors but merely an accelerant I was ready to take Step 5...
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic the review of Step Four shows the same reaction to life replicated over and over again with just the names of the people involved changing...Thank you...Armand
DeletePlanning for a Christmas Decor?
ReplyDeleteYour ladder can actually hold a snowy Christmas village in it! A neat way to display the decor.
aluminium ladder supplier
4 step aluminium ladder
aluminium home ladder