As I began the fourth step of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous I faced the four column inventory of my resentments, fears and sexual conduct. My sponsor suggested that I begin to pray for and forgive all of those on all of my lists. In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous there is a prayer for each of these lists - three prayers in total.
The Eighth Step of Alcoholics Anonymous, "Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all," is yet another chance to pray for and forgive all those on all of my lists and to begin doing the same with any new situations that may arise. We are already in possession of an Eighth Step list - extracted from our Fourth Step inventory. As we begin to pray for and forgive we are also making a beginning on Steps Eleven and Twelve.
Prayer and forgiveness are essential tools if we are to recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body We learned in the Fourth Step that resentments toward others is the number one offender to a relationship with God, as we are called to love all, although we are never to be accepting of evil.
The Eighth Step provides for us ANOTHER CHANCE TO PRAY FOR AND TO FORGIVE all those on our lists. This is necessary in order to bring the Spirit into our Ninth Step amends.
Written by Armand
In the program of recovery, I learned that I had to be willing to go to any length in order to have a whole and loving relationship with myself. From that reality, all good things and all effective relationships would spring eternal. As you point out, however, the reward follows the action. It was only by integrating all Twelve Steps into my life in such a way that I found me (action) through The Power Within me (reward). The Big Book program of recovery transmuted me from lost to found, from fragmented to whole, from miserable to peaceful, from defectively relating to myself and others to effectively doing so. the Eighth Step simply offers me the path to be followed for the joy of worthwhile living to occur.
ReplyDeleteMichael another humbling and rewarding Step along the way...Thank you...Armand
ReplyDeleteArmand,
ReplyDeleteHaving received complete forgiveness at the feet of the Father of Light through Steps 4 and 5 and the impossibility of the unaided removal of the personnel shortcomings inherent in our failed nature except through surrendering them to God through Steps 6 and 7. We are now in the right mindset and spirit to accept what will turn out to be the incredible opportunity and gift of becoming a partaker of the infinite mercy and grace that God has just shown us and now calls us to share with our fellows. We ponder the gateway found in the Lords Prayer " And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others who have trespassed against us."
We have made a decision to identify and relinquish the primitive survivor skills that we once believed were absolutely necessary to sustain our existence. It is here that we rediscover deeply held resentments we used as justification for misplaced malignant attitudes and actions must be rooted up and exposed to the continuous cleansing power of Gods Spirit of Light and Love. As we prayerfully continue to review our past encounters we come to understand that many with whom we hold our held a grudge were merely acting in kind in order to avoid their own desperately perceived fearful demise.
As we continue to prayerfully plumb the depths of Step Eight we will soon begin to experience true empathy and forgiveness towards those we once perceived to be our enemy. As we separate their desperate acts and actions from their wounded personhood we can now pray rightly for them to receive the freedom and peace that can only come from an eternal relationship with our, and their, loving Father. Now we become partakers in the ministry of healing that God would provide to others as He seeks to heal the last scars that we, in our selfishness, had carved into the fragile spirits of so many lives. It is in forgiving others as we have been forgiven that we truly begin to experience the fullness, depth and all encompassing expanse of God's personnel forgiveness of our own sins. It is here that we can begin to apprehend and more deeply share that all forgiving divine love and empathy that is the essence of Gods Personhood, with others.
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic prayer for others releases any resentment we may have toward them...Thank you....Armand
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