Step Six--AA

cheri · Veteran Member

Step Six--AA

cheri · Veteran Member

Good morning all,

Sorry the post was late, I was away for a week and am just now getting caught up. I'll post my share here for step six.

This was the easiest step for me, because by the time I had completed my fourth and fifth step, I had learned to rely on a higher power in my life. I knew what my defects were and I was absolutely ready to have them removed. I have found that when I am having a problem in ny life, whether it is anger or patience or fears that I need to face, I cannot do anything about it. I must ask God to remove them....but that is step seven. Step six is recognizing the defect and being willing. I don't even have to know what all the defects are. I just need to strive towards a relationship with God, and leave the rest up to God. Sometimes there are lessons that I must learn before this happens, sometimes it happens in God's time, not my own, but it does happen.

Love, cheri

John · Member

Thank you Cheri!

I once went to my sponsor and told him of an area I was struggling with, all the things I had tried to be rid of the issue or problem it presented. I told him of the numerous things I was doing, or trying to do, and the things I wasn't doing any longer, etc, in an attempt to be rid of this defect of character.

He asked, "John, have you worked the 6th and 7th steps on this?" I replied, "of course, I have, but see..." and I went on to explain all the other things I attempted to do to resolve it within me. Again, he asked, "John, have you worked the 6th and 7th step on this?" By this time I was getting a bit frustrated and responded, "Yes, I have worked the steps on this, but I don't think you are understanding what I'm saying!" I started to go into another round of explaination, but before I got very far he stopped me.

"John, either YOU are going to remove this from you, or GOD is..., and step six does not say, "I was entirely ready to help God remove my DEFECTS, it says in essense that these defects are not behavioral defects, that they are defects of our character, our personality structure, a deeply embedded, ingrained part of us, that we can't reach, we can't alter or even modify it, no matter how much affort we exert. Nothing we do on the outside is going to change what is defected on the inside. Have you tried enough on your own that you can look at all your efforts, all the will power you have thrown towards this issue or problem and see clearly that it is much bigger than you? Are you entirely ready to have a source of power greater than you and it, remove it from you, in your behalf for the benefit of yourself and others?" I mumbled a "I understand..." He smiled and said..."Leave it alone, get out of Gods way, and let God do what God does, and as it says on page 85 of the Big Book, you will find this has happened automatically without any effort or work on your part. It just happens. "This is the Miracle of it"

He concluded with... "now move on to step 7 with this problem, and humbly, (on your knees) ask God to remove it, then "Act as if he has until he does..." this will give you some practice at embracing and honoring the gift when it gets delivered".

The problem I had struggled with for 2 years was removed from that day on.. simply because it was no longer MY problem... I had placed it in the hands of God.

John

-- Edited by John at 04:39, 2005-08-25

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.