Step Seven (7) - Al-Anon - From Dot

dott · Member

Step Seven (7) - Al-Anon - From Dot

JoanD · Member

Step 7 - first word is humbly. It was hard to get past that since for a long time I blamed my Higher Power for my "predicament". As long as I was not at fault there (or so I thought!) it was easy to blame and rationalize away many, if not most, of my shortcomings. But pain is a great motivator. After having been in the program for awhile (sometimes years), the ongoing pain of my shortcomings - to myself and others - was great enough for me to surrender (AGAIN) and ask God to help remove them. The other ongoing struggle for me is that God has a different timetable than I do. But I can report that ,little by little, those things I can keep surrendering to God have been tempered. Some seemed to have been removed completely. Like so many other steps, this have brought another degree of freedom. Today, I have choices. Today, i can take responsibility for my actions, sometimes my inaction, and often for my poor actions. With God's help, life (and ME) are getting much better.

Thanks for listening.

Blessed · Senior Member

Blessed wrote:

Dear Ones,

Step Seven.

To Humbly ask God to remove our Shortcomings.

Whatever SIN I am struggling with, it can be addictions, depression, doubt, fear, resentment, anger, debt, co-dependency, so on. God can and will show me a way out if I humble myself and ask.

I pray daily with my husband, I am a Christian which is my choice and Jesus is my Choice of a Higher Power. He is The WAY, THe TRUTH, and The LIFE for me. Laying out all my shortcomings in the form of confession to GOD is easy. How can it not be. I wrestle with my Flesh everyday.

I am naturaly Self-centered. I want to Control myself, other people, and generally I want things my way. I size people up and catch myself doing it. Then I have to ask for FORGIVENESS. That is a bunch of shortcomings.

Humbling myself and reaching out to GOD and saying HELP me DADDY is the only way I can get through a day.

With other SIN issues that we have and have to work through God provides us a way to work through each one. Step 7 GOd has removed so many of my shortcomings already I am so Blessed that I can Thank him daily for the progress I have made.

I have let people go in my life that I used to hold onto that were abusive, this is a shortcoming of mine. ALways thinking that I had to LOVE and tolerate everyones behavior. That just isn't true!
WHen I ask for "HIS HELP," he is my Heavenly Daddy, my creator. He LOVES me more than any Earthly Father could. I TRUST HIM.
Removal of my Shortcomings is a BLESSING and is ongoing because I had so mnay when I started to Recover.

Right now I am doing a BIble Study for my Growth, I also Worship singing to The LORd, reading the Word, so that I will never stop growing. A.A. saved my rear end but mostly GOD did. He gives me everything I need everyday all I have to do is ask him for his direction.
I will always be Grateful for the 12-Steps and for what it brought to my life. Thank you A.A. and all the 12-step programs for there beginnings to a wonderful pleasant honest way of living.

If you want to pray the 7th Step Prayer you can start with.
My Creator, I am now willing that you have all of me good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of Charecter which stands in the way of my usefullness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding, Amen. That is the completion of Step Seven.

Lord GOD I am so Blessed to be your child today and to know you personally. Father GOD thanks for your LOVE, Faith, Grace, protection, provision and mostly for your sacrifice. Without it I would still be dead. Praise you Lord for Miracles in Progress. May it continue to be availabe for those seeking GOd in all that they do.
By His Stripes,

Blessed
AMEN

Joanon · Newbie

Hi all,

Serendipity strikes again. I was just told that I need to keep going after my 5th step, and then realized that I had "lost" some of the character defects I'd named in my 4th. I'm so grateful to be able to tell you this, because after the 5th step, HP simply gave me ample opportunity to ask for guidance and it was not to act out old behavior. And wow! What a feeling. I know I can't claim the power that I feel at the moment I'm acting on HP's guidance; but I feel it just the same and, to know that it's there anytime I ask for the right reason, brings a serenity and courage hard to explain.
Jo biggrin

Baffled · Member

Thank you Dott and everyone for being here.

The 7th Step prayer really tells me the purpose of asking to have our character defects removed. Now that I am aware of some of my shortcomings, I can go to my HP and ask to have them taken away. It is one more thing that is helping to put my own house in order, without looking outside of myself for my problems.

I am guilty of unfavorably comparing myself to others, feeling different and "less than", and being envious. Without clouding my mind with these uncomfortable thoughts, I am free to be more productive and accomplish something worthwhile. I am ready to be of help to others, without having my problems distract me.

dawg · Member

Humbly asked. Hmm

For me I tried everything in my power, at least everything I could think of, to try and change. My attempts included willpower, knowledge, intellect, and did I mention willpower.

Today I approach and enter this step with humor. For years I have been practicing letting all uninvited guests into my house (it's a metaphor). But I can't say I've done it with humor, more like a dog trying to get to know a mailman, reluctantly. After a while the guests were predictable, but nothing I did would make them leave. The more I fought, the greater the resistance.

I got tired, exhausted, of all the effort I applied, and I gave up, literally and figuratively. I found an expansiveness. I encountered a compassion. I exprienced an equanimity with my surroundings. In step one it says came to believe a power greater than myself could restore me to sanity. Step seven, if absolute surrender can occurr, even briefly, is a reward. I can say I jumped off the cliff, teh ring of fire, and I did not die (another metaphor).

It's not exciting. In fact it's nothing at all. All the things I have been searching for I already have. All the attributes I disliked, judged, and hid from are all still a part of me. I have not changed and I am changed. Step seven is a paradox, an irony. There is no action needed other than inaction.

When I invite in the uninvited, let them in all the way to my kitchen and make friends with them, with humor, they do not stay. To me Step Seven could read 'stop trying to get what I think I need.'

Healing my heart is not a mental activity. Believing in a power greater than myself that has the strenth, compassion, and the interest to change me is a powerful thing. I feel odd about the changes in me. I don't feel comfortable or peaceful most of the time. I am learnign how to incorparate my expereinces into my life. The main change is I am not fighting, I am not blaming, and I know with confidence the the only thing I need to do is change my attitude. That is enough. Thanks for letting me share.

-- Edited by dawg at 22:10, 2007-09-25

florence · Member

hmmm... healing my heart is not a mental activity, you know i've been trying to articulate that to myself for days! i knew what i meant but i wanted a concise way to remember it. thank you!
i am currently experiencing the texture of my relentless self-criticism, judgementalness etc.. i have humbly asked god to remove these shortcomings. i am delighted to read your post, it describes the landscape i'm in.
what a mad experience it is to be a human being! the first day after i surrundered these traits to god i went into a suicidal despair. i couldnt find any way forward, but after a few more days i could feel that i was thinking about death with pleasure because it seemed easier than surrendering to love! my fear of being hurt was very strong. i know those feelings could arise again, maybe they will but i feel i went through some kind of transformation. i am so gratefull to have this forum where these kind of topics get discussed.
for today i am open to love.....if i shut down- i shut down, i have a higher power that loves me and is involved in my life, so i need not fear any thought, any feeling, any state........just for today!!!

Blessed · Senior Member

Step Seven God removing our shortcomings

Wow, there is some great stuff being written on here. I was at the jail last night with the Chaplain and several other people that volunteer with Prison Ministry.
What an awesome thing to be involved in after years of being on the other side of the street.

No horn tooting because it isn't anything I have done. It is what God does through me. I am open now to humbling myself and remembering that I am no BIGGER or SMALLER than anyone else. Just getting to be more useful to others and helping others because I truly care about them.

Fourteen years ago I wouldn't have been able to or desired to help a dog cross the street let alone be apart of a Chapel Service. Praying for others behind the walls to know they are valued, loved, and cared about by there Heavenly Father and by us. Wow, who would have thought it?

Even a few months ago when I too was so depressed. I couldn't shake it! But GOD in his GREAT LOVE brought me through again. I sounded like you FLorence, I will start to pray for you. Prayer works and GOd listen's to all our prayers when we belong to his family.

I have a Son that I pray for everyday to come back to GOd. He is out there at 21 almost 22 next month with Felonies, almost bankrupt us with Recovery programs. But, he still doesn't see the madness of the drinking, anger, unforgivness, seperation from God, and rebellion. Ministering to others is easy! I just keep praying. Let it go and Let God! Live by example and pray that one day soon he will return to GOd. That is a shortcoming I need allot of work on is my SOn and giving it to GOD daily.

Well, I couldn't sleep so I am up writting on this message board because it was drawing me to it. Now I am going to pray and spend some time with The LORD. Enjoy your day! MAy all of you that are reading this be "BLESSED," by The KINGS. No I am not talking about Elvis. I am talking about GOD, his Son, and His Helper.

Prayer for today:

Our Father,
Who art in Heaven
Hallow be thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
on earth as it
is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors
lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from the evil one,
for thine is the kingdom
and the Power,
and the Glory,
Forever and ever. Amen

I few slogans to remember today

Keep it simple! Live and Let Live! Easy Does it! Let Go Let God, Don't get too Hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. (halt)
Love to you all,
weirdface

Blessed

-- Edited by Blessed at 13:34, 2007-09-26

florence · Member

thank you for the prayers blessed, i appreciate your kindness. i am feeling much better again, i think i'm letting go of this old way of thinking that has generated conflict inside for years. judging and criticising myself or others has not given me one good thing, so i have handed it to god. thanks again blessed and everyone else here, i get so much from this forum smile

getoverit · Veteran Member

Step Seven - Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

From: How Al-Anon Works - pg. 56-57

(copyright 1995, by Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. Limited use by express written permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.)

Hullo 2 all
Dott thank you for setting up this step or the steps and welcome
back from a computer crash dear. My computer constantly sends
me to the first step, and I so relate.

Further, I love that you note in your sharing on the seventh step
that is to sing as even a valued tool for working the program. The
joy of finding the program, the blessing the program is certainly
can and does seem to be able to have a gift that turns life into
a song, and one can at least hum if to sing is not do-able.

The first time I did my steps I did them all in one settting with my
sponsor, I was in a time crunch having the children to watch and the
other recovery studies I was working and the idea you express here
dear, that is to go on thru the steps is perfect - there is no stigma to
having to reprocess the steps - again, my computer takes me back
to step one as I indicate about me / myself.

Perhaps it is a shortcoming to take life so lightly as to sing it thru. Then
again, I only live my life for me, my path thru the steps is mine alone.
All in all is what I am saying, it is as easy for me to do my step work
singing prostrate on the ground as it is for me to sing and dance my
way thru the step process re my hp good graces, and so I do.
oceans of love 2 all
getoverit

Vicky R · Senior Member

From: Blueprint for Progress - pg. 14

(copyright 2004, by Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. Limited use by express written permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.)

" Because I didn't have a good opinion of myself , I was concerned with what others thought of me , and any kind of disapproval or refection made me uncomfortable. If others liked me, then I felt good about myself. If they disliked me , or criticized me, I felt compelled to change to please them My opinion of myself depended entirely on others. "

Hi everyone thanks for all the wonderful shares. This passage is good for me today , lack of humility is linked to this over-responsibility that is characteristic of many recoveries . Finding people and things that you can trust to help with the defects is a great weight off our shoulders ,

llol Vickyr x

Joanon · Newbie

Hi! When are we going on to step 8?

Blessed · Senior Member

Hi eveyone,
Thanks for the message Florence. It was great Praying for you anytime.
If you have a prayer concern please ask. That goes for everyone else too!
Blessed

Learn how the 12 Steps work. Participate in your own recovery as well as the recovery of others, by being active on this board as we go through the 12 Steps of recovery together! We discuss each of the Twelve Steps In the order they are written, one step at a time, every two weeks.