Do You Think He Will?
I just checked and nowhere, last year or this, have I actually stated the Sixth Step. Therefore and thuswith…
“Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”
Are you “any person?”
Page 63 in the 12&12 speaks of a “well-loved clergyman” who explained that “any person capable of enough willingness and honesty to try repeatedly Step Six on all his faults - without any reservations whatever - has indeed come a long way spiritually, and is therefore entitled to be called a man who is sincerely trying to grow in the image and likeness of his own Creator.”
I’m glad they didn’t tell me that would be a requirement when I first walked into these rooms :)
The book goes on to say: “Of course, the often disputed question of whether God can - and will, under certain conditions - remove defects of character will be answered with a prompt affirmative by almost any A.A. member.”
Okay, I can tell you from personal experience (laffin’ now) that God definitely removes defective characters from our lives! I can also tell you from personal experience that, as long as I am willing to have them removed, He also takes those defects of character away.
From “The Language Of The Heart” page 315;
“Paradoxically, though, we can achieve no liberation from the alcohol obsession until we become willing to deal with those character defects which have landed us in that helpless condition. Even to gain sobriety only, we must attain some freedom from fear, anger, and pride; from rebellion and self-righteousness; from laziness and irresponsibility; from foolish rationalization and outright dishonesty; from wrong dependencies and destructive power-driving.
In this freedom quest, we are always given three choices. A rebellious refusal to work upon our glaring defects can be a ticket to destruction. Or, for a time, we can stay sober with a minimum of self-improvement and settle ourselves into a comfortable but often dangerous mediocrity. Or we can continuously try hard for those sterling qualities which can add up to greatness of spirit and action - true and lasting freedom under God, the freedom to find and do His will.”
Tags: 6th-step, alcoholics-anonymous, Recovery, sobrietyRelated Stories
POSTED IN: The Sixth Step
5 opinions for Do You Think He Will?
dAAve
Jun 14, 2007 at 4:40 pm
A wise person with many more years than I, once shared that possibly the primary reason for relapse is from not working Step 6. I took that to heart and keep it as part of my daily prayer to my HP.
Trudge
Jun 15, 2007 at 6:25 am
Yep, not working step 6 can really, really mess you up
rosemary
Jun 17, 2007 at 9:20 am
All step six tells me is that first I must become willing to admit that i might have some defects of my character and ask for help to remove them. I did not always think that they were defects, they were my survials tools that I learn at a very young age Trust no one and you will never be hurt,and all that got me was drunk Have a great one day at a time
Mark
Jun 17, 2007 at 9:33 am
Well, 6 also tells me that I’m not the power that will, if meant to be, be removing any of those survival techniques, character defects, defective characters or sins…
Had I been the power I no doubt would not be here (that is what I believe).
Garth
Jun 18, 2007 at 9:47 am
Well put, Mark. We keep having that discussion in our group, whether steps six and seven really mean exactly what they say or whether we are supposed to also help him in that endeavor.
I know that for my first eight or nine years I tried to help God rid me of my character defects, and I stayed sick: ill at ease, depressed and generally unhappy. I (the big I) would see I had somehow started those same old behaviors again and realize that I had not been any more effective in permanently getting rid of them than I had been in all my efforts to quit drinking.
Then the light went on, I went through the steps one more time, and this time I simply left all of my character defects in His hands. Then I simply continued to inventory to see when (not if) I would pick back up any of those bad habits.
For me that has made all the difference. As long as I do with my defects the same thing I did with my drink problem, that is give all of those problems to my God and leave them in His hands, my life is just dandy fine. And, as far as I can see, doing it that way simply works. I can’t see near as many defects nor as many glaring defects as I use to see.
And, no, doing it that way does not mean that I think that thereafter I have any right to consciously endulge in any of those defects again, reasoning that at some future date I can just give them to God again.
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