Step 7
"Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings."
"Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings."
"Give it all to God."
(Alma's last words to me, repeated as she rocked back and forth close to her transition.)
"My Creator, I am now willing
you should have all of me,
the good to work with
and the bad.
I pray that you now remove from me
every single defect of character
that stands in the way
of my usefulness to you
and my fellows.
Grant me strength as I go out from here
to do your bidding."
(Big Book, page 76)
I say this prayer daily; the first time was 42 years ago.
after reading my 5th step to my sponsor.
"the good"
(industriousness, generosity, concern, love, respect, mercy... etc.)
for God's plan for me
NOT for my ego's relentless plans and designs.
"the bad"
(lack of compassion, over-sensitivity, grandiosity, impatience, greed, self-centeredness... etc.)
for release to make God's plan possible
Not self-improvement, a.k.a. self-will.
My “defects” “defaults” “patterns” “survival-of-the-ego mechanisms” “shortcomings:”
keep me humble
keep me close to God
keep me compassionate,
“I know how you feel!”
Step 7 is a Prayer from the Heart, an ASK.
A sk.
S eek.
K nock.
"Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find;
knock and it will be opened to you.
Step 7 is Surrender
I surrender!
The fight is OVER.
I AM beginning to define and clarify
newfound, excavated morals,
beliefs, spiritual principles,
a way of living, truth.
That means others may not always like me,
agree with what I say or choose to do.
BUT that is okay. I didn't surrender to other people
but rather to the Infinite God of the Universe.
My life bears witness
to God's POWER, LOVE, and WAY OF LIFE.
(Alma's last words to me, repeated as she rocked back and forth close to her transition.)
"My Creator, I am now willing
you should have all of me,
the good to work with
and the bad.
I pray that you now remove from me
every single defect of character
that stands in the way
of my usefulness to you
and my fellows.
Grant me strength as I go out from here
to do your bidding."
(Big Book, page 76)
I say this prayer daily; the first time was 42 years ago.
after reading my 5th step to my sponsor.
"the good"
(industriousness, generosity, concern, love, respect, mercy... etc.)
for God's plan for me
NOT for my ego's relentless plans and designs.
"the bad"
(lack of compassion, over-sensitivity, grandiosity, impatience, greed, self-centeredness... etc.)
for release to make God's plan possible
Not self-improvement, a.k.a. self-will.
My “defects” “defaults” “patterns” “survival-of-the-ego mechanisms” “shortcomings:”
keep me humble
keep me close to God
keep me compassionate,
“I know how you feel!”
Step 7 is a Prayer from the Heart, an ASK.
A sk.
S eek.
K nock.
"Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find;
knock and it will be opened to you.
Step 7 is Surrender
I surrender!
The fight is OVER.
I AM beginning to define and clarify
newfound, excavated morals,
beliefs, spiritual principles,
a way of living, truth.
That means others may not always like me,
agree with what I say or choose to do.
BUT that is okay. I didn't surrender to other people
but rather to the Infinite God of the Universe.
My life bears witness
to God's POWER, LOVE, and WAY OF LIFE.
Step 7 brings the biggest changes of all.
My experience is that each time I have started the steps over from the beginning,
very large changes have happened in my life, which I now, in retrospect, attribute to Steps 6 and 7.
Because God healed me of my need to be a dancer and off-again, on-again financially dependent on my parents,
I was able to have a spiritual experience with God (not religion) that I understood deep within my heart. (7 months sober.)
Because God healed me of my need to control with sex, and thereby to live up to my sex ideal,
I was able to watch myself fall in love over time and be married to a man I trusted, and have two children. (7 years sober)
Because God healed me of my need to diminish myself, stay small and invisible,
I was given the Power to return to school and get my master's degree.
This allowed me then to have a completely new professional experience. (14 years sober)
Because God healed me of my need to defy or seek the approval of authority figures,
I was able to start my own business and be successful with it. (21 years sober)
Because God healed me of my need to control my finances and work, trusting instead in God's timing and will,
I was able to walk through 10 years of cancer with my best friend, husband and 2 years of hospice. (28 years sober)
Because God healed me of my need to have an identity as someone's wife,
I am able to be a sober, somewhat sane widow. (28 years sober)
Because God healed me of my attachment to a home, to my AA fellowship, to my city of rebirth,
I was able to respond to God's will and move across the country to a new city and be of service to my daughter during a crisis. (33 years sober)
Because God healed me of my financial insecurity and gave me agency, power, and wisdom,
I was able to purchase a property that is useful to many people seeking recovery (40 years sober).
Each of these huge changes was preceded by a journey through the 12 steps.
There are millions more unmentioned.
As defects are removed and assets are used, there is often pain.
But reassure yourself, it is the pain of growing towards God, not the pain of going towards insanity or a drink.
It means Power
to make amends
to listen for and do God's will
to put "first things first:"
to work with others
to pause, pray, meditate, write
Because God healed me of my contempt prior to investigation, in 2008, when 24 years sober, I was able to surrender my life into the One, the Mystical Body of Christ. The day after having done that, this white dove flew into our lives and lived with us. We called her "Dovey." The Holy Spirit.