The Sixth Step of Alcoholics Anonymous is, "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character". The original draft of the Big Book used the word "willing" instead of the words "entirely ready". I found it helpful to incorporate both into my Sixth Step, so that I had the willingness to be entirely ready.As an alcoholic, giving up control is awkward and strenuous - I would rather apply some sort of cognitive therapy or behavioral modification to control my defects. But practicing that method is like applying a band-aid to a festering infection, it does nothing. Control of defects is not the snag, but rather that our human defects are not to exist in our behavior, as it is our defects that are keeping us from the perfection that God seeks in us. God seeks for us to be the human being that He created us to be, thereby able to maximize our human potential.
When we are in the will of God our human character defects, which exist only in our human nature, cannot possibly manifest themselves in our behavior.
Yes, I am willing to be entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character
Written By Armand
Right before the 6th step the Big Book talks about we are about to walk through an arch when on the other side I will become a free man. What a great visual that is! But before I do, I need to look back and make sure I did the best job with the first five steps that I possibly could do at that time. It refers to making sure my foundation is strong enough to say I am "willing" to have God to remove the character defects that get in my way of doing His will. If my foundation is too weak, the enormity of the rest of the steps are to much for me. My sponsor made sure I was thoroughly prepared. That is why you just can come to meetings and don't drink. You are about to receive His power but only if you made room for it in the 7th step. The 6th step is our checklist to make sure our spiritual life will take off like a rocket. My sponsor made sure I was ready. You don't get that in a meeting. You dont get that by reading a book by yourself. You don't get that from the fellowship. You only get it from the Holy Spirit working through another human being and by honesty and humility. The 6th step is short but powerful.
ReplyDeleteKevin happy that the blog provided a benefit for you. Kindly continue to read and comment...Thank you...Armand
DeleteJim when an alcoholic stops trying to overcome their problems and character defects with the power of their nature and surrenders instead to the will of God in that very instant their life is transformed...thank you...Armand
ReplyDeleteOf course I was ready to get rid of whatever was causing the hurt within me. The larger question was: was I willing to do the work necessary to become entirely ready. And did I even know how? It took a knowing walk-the-walk sponsor to guide me through the process to the gift. I had to incorporate The Steps into my life in such a way (process) that they would become my life (gift). Today, I am entirely ready to give away that gift. My understanding is that is what is meant by a "selfish program." Find myself through The Power Within me, grow to love myself, give myself away. The program of recovery.
ReplyDelete,,
Michael the depth of the receiving is dependent on the depth of the giving...Thank you...Armand
DeleteI have heard steps 6 and 7 called the forgotten steps as they take up a small amount of space, only a couple of paragraphs in the Big Book. After completing step 5 it’s tempting to run out and make amends without having the willingness and humility to ask god to remove our shortcomings first. That can be a disaster. If step 5 isn’t followed by steps six and seven nothing changes and I become a dry drunk. The steps are in order for a reason as it’s only when I get humility in steps 6 and 7 that I can go out and make direct amends to those people I have harmed and get on with the rest of the steps and work them in my life every day. Steps 6 and seven may be short in the Big Book but they are such powerful steps.
ReplyDeleteAnne surrender to the will of God in this and every moment and in that time we will be manifesting the will of God in our behavior rather than our character defects...Thank you...Armand
DeleteArmand,
ReplyDeleteFor this alcoholic, it is not about me attempting to maximize my nature (the real me) with all of its inborn flaws and follies but instead to abandon it completely to the Person and Power of God. The Divinely inspired and instantaneous segue from step 5 into 6, described by the founders so many years ago, simply articulates the new state of being they found themselves to be in after having completed the previous steps and is a most apropos description of the result of the indwelling love, power and presence of the Holy Spirit of God, who lovingly compels us to continue this new "journey" into the limitless expanse of His Person. Enjoy the following gleaned from my book of daily devotions as authored by Lloyd John Ogilvie, which I humbly suggest to be a most apropos sixth / seventh step prayer to the God of my understanding..
"Lord Christ, when I experience Your fullness in my emptiness, I receive Your mind for my thoughts, Your nature for the formation of my character, Your Person for the shaping of my personality, Your will for the direction of my will and Your power for my discipleship. Each day as I yield my inner life to the formation of Your character in me I am able to face the struggles of my outer life.
Today I can face the three most troublesome struggles of life. First, thank You for helping me overcome the struggle with my human nature. When I admit the impossibility of changing myself with resolutions and self-improvement disciplines, You take control and perform the continuing miracle of making me like Yourself. Second, You free me from the struggle of being humanly adequate. I know I am insufficient for the demands of life, but I also know of Your all-sufficient adequacy. I can't imagine any problem You cannot help me to solve, any person You can't love through me, any challenge You can't give me strength to tackle. Third, I don't have to struggle with worries over what the future holds. I can relax. Whatever I face today will be an opportunity for new dimensions of Your character to be formed in me."
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic