Just when…

Just when I thought that things were going to get hard in the twelve step program I find myself at a step that I think I may be able to easily do.  Step six looks, at first glance, IMPOSSIBLE.  Why?  Because it is asking us to give all of our little sins away.  We, by we I mean addicts, are able to easily see and give up the thing that we admitted we were powerless to over come.  We were able with little effort to come to the realization that we needed help from God and others.  But there are things in our lives that are not big to us but are still robbing us of blessings.

I am not making much sense here am I?  OK Step six is:  “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”  What that means, as I said at first glance, is that we are asking God to make us perfect.  Is that really possible?  Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 5:48 to “Be perfect as you Father in heaven is perfect.”  Also we are not to do this in our own power or by our own will.  We are to do this by the power and will of GOD!!  Just like we did for the addiction we need to also do for the defects in our character that contributed to the addiction and will if not treated take us back there.  I am NOT going back there.

So how do we do this?  Step seven.  Step seven is: “Humbly ask Him to remove our shortcomings.”  Humility, true humility is not humiliating or humiliation.  There can not be any of those things with God.  He is love therefore He will never humiliate us.  BUT He does expect us to be humble in his presence.  When we go to Him we need to be reverential.  We need to be in absolute awe of Him.  Should we bow before Him?  Yes that is humbling ourselves before Him.  Never should we approach God in arrogance.  Anger, grief, in pain, sorrow, happy, joyful, worshipful, praising?  Yes all of those are acceptable to God  when you approach the throne.

Arrogance is not the emotion or attitude you want to show some one in authority over you.  Humility is.  Humbly, truly humbly, asking some one in authority over you for ANYTHING is always the way.  Try some time to go to your boss and ask him or her to give you a day off.  Be humble and reverential and see if they are not at least apologetic that they may not be able to give it to you.  Then again they may just do it because you were nice to them.  But approach them in arrogance and see how far that gets you.  God has far more power and authority than any earthly boss.

So humbly ask Him to take all of those defects of character that have been plaguing me for years.  Hmmm that sounds like a very good idea.  I believe that I will do that.  FIRST though I have to find out what those defects of character are that need to be purged.  That is what steps four through six are for.  Step four is going to be a life long process that I will have to visit again and again through out the rest of my life.  Well I guess I better get started.  I need to do another inventory.

A Real (repentant) Man