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
It is my opinion, supported by my decades in recovery, that people will pay vast amounts of money, spend years reading, talking and searching for that which is freely available for all who "seize" upon The Big Book "to follow its suggestions." Only through The Big Book and the guidance of a knowing sponsor have I become able to understand the complex simplicity of what you mean when you write of Discovery Through Inventory. The notion that I must extricate myself from my human nature in order to transform from slave-man to free-man is a life-changing concept - one that must have a modality in order for it to occur. So, yes, I have learned that I must incorporate The Twelve Steps into my life in a way that my life is changed and that I come to know the realm of the spirit. In The Tenth Step, I am empowered to continue to live in the present moment even when my human nature calls for a resumption of my darker, former side. In the The Tenth Step, I can continue to discover and re-discover. As a result, I am enabled to continue to grow in understanding and effectiveness. I have been granted a new level of consciousness and being.
ReplyDeleteMichael love slave man to fre eman. Ain't it the truth...Thank you...Armand
DeleteArmand,
ReplyDeleteIf done with absolute abandon, the previous steps have brought us into a divinely inspired personal relationship with God. We have discovered that God is not some mystical nebular "force" but in fact a Person, a Loving Father who loves each and every one of us with a love beyond telling. In Step 7 we have humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings for we have come to realize in Step 6 that His plan for us is a divine plan that can only be accomplished with Divine Power, His Power and the very essence of His Being. In steps 8 and 9 we discover He has healed our once seared conscience.
Our spirit has become tender and as the Big Book proclaims, "Finally, we begin to see that all people, including our-selves, are to some extent emotionally ill as well as frequently wrong, and then we approach true tolerance and see what real love for our fellows actually means. It will become more and more evident as we go forward that it is pointless to become angry, or to get hurt by people who, like us, are suffering from the pains of growing up. We can often check ourselves by remembering that we are today sober only by the grace of God and that any success we may be having is far more His success than ours."
As our journey continues we discover that the one time insatiable obsession with self is being replaced by an overwhelming empathy, love and understanding for even those who may despise us as we reflect the essence of God's Spirit who now inhabits ours. Steps 10, 11 and 12 reveal the immutable fact that moment by moment our current spiritual state no longer reflects our once immature and fragmentary prayers, but His...
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic.
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic the purpose of the 12 Steps is for us to surrender our human nature and to live in the will of God. When an alcoholic manifests there human defects in their behavior they than know that they are not in the will of God. The 10th Step if AA if practiced will surface such behavior...Thank you...Armand
ReplyDeleteSorry about the typos
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