SHORTCOMINGS REMOVED But now the words "Of myself I am nothing, the Father doeth the works" began to carry bright promise and meaning. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 75 When I put the Seventh Step into action I must remember that there are no blanks to fill in. It doesn't say, "Humbly asked Him to (fill in the blank) remove our shortcomings." For years, I filled in the imaginary blank with "Help me!" "Give me the courage to," and "Give...
FALSE PRIDE Many of us who had thought ourselves religious awoke to the limitations of this attitude. Refusing to place God first, we had deprived ourselves of His help. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 75 Many false notions operate in false pride. The need for direction to live a decent life is satisfied by the hope experienced in the A.A. Fellowship. Those who have walked the way for years – a day at a time – say that a God-centered...
GRATEFUL FOR WHAT I HAVE During this process of learning more about humility, the most profound result of all was the change in our attitude toward God. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 75 Today my prayers consist mostly of saying thank you to my Higher Power for my sobriety and for the wonder of God's abundance, but I need to ask also for help and the power to carry out His will for me. I no longer need God each minute to rescue me from...
SURRENDER AND SELF-EXAMINATION My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive. Thus I think it can work out with emotional sobriety. If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand. Let us, with God's help, continually surrender these hobbling demands. Then we can be set free to live and love; we may then be able to...
"A MEASURE OF HUMILITY" In every case, pain had been the price of admission into a new life. But this admission price had purchased more than we expected. It brought a measure of humility, which we soon discovered to be a healer of pain. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 75 It was painful to give up trying to control my life, even though success eluded me, and when life got too rough, I drank to escape. Accepting life on life's terms will...
