“Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character”
Step 6 moves us back solidly into the realm of Spirit. It’s here that we start to use the spiritual muscles that we’ve worked on in the previous steps. We have already accepted the problem and out lack of control of it. We’ve acknowledged that a Higher Power is needed to help you to fix this problem. We’ve itemized and analyzed and shared our progress. Now is the time for…
Patience. :-)
Oh, I know…that’s not what you wanted me to say, right? Patience? That sucks!
We all want to know that our hard work is working and we want our issues gone, like now! Unfortunately it doesn’t quite work that way. That’s one reason why Step 6 is SO important. It’s a step to teach us patience. Look at what the step says:
Were entirely ready…that means that WE are ready for someone else to help us finish the work. We are the ones waiting in this step. We’ve done the required pre-work and now we need to keep going until our partner arrives to help us out.
To have God remove…there you are. God becomes the focus of this step. We wait on our Higher Power to intercede for us. HE is the one that is going to do the real work in you. HE is the one that is going to take away those things that you can’t manage or control.
All these defects of character…not just a few. Not just some. Not every other one. Rather, it’s a removal of ALL the defects of character that are contributing to the things you can’t control. And realize that it’s the character flaws that are being worked on here. You’re not going to have great physical changes. You’re not going to get a new, high paying job. Although, you MIGHT, once the character flaws are removed, but that will be up to you.
“Step 6 is a step of preparation and reflection. I have been preparing for a significant change in my life and now I need to make sure that I am ready. I need to make sure in my own heart and mind that I am truly willing for God to remove these defects of character that have enabled my addictive behaviors. It might mean letting go of other things in my life in order to allow God to do the work that needs to be done. I need to determine if I am truly ready.”
- From 12Step.org
So…what do you have to DO on this step? I mean, it’s not like we’re just going to sit and twiddle our thumbs until God make an entrance, right?
Right.
You just keep on keepin' on, sugar. :-)
“So Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character" - is A.A.'s way of stating the best possible attitude one can take in order to make a beginning on this lifetime job. This does not mean that we expect all our character defects to be lifted out of us as the drive to drink was. A few of them may be, but with most of them we shall have to be content with patient improvement. The words "entirely ready" underline the fact that we want to aim at the very best we know or can learn.”
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
This isn’t a quick fix process. Keep that in mind. This is a lifelong journey. And one that WILL require a lot of patience from us. By keeping to the spiritual focus of step 6, we are able to maintain that patience, even as we continue our journey.
Keep your head up and your eyes on the goal. One step at a time and we’ll get there together.
1 comment:
Patience? Aaaaarrrgggghhh! =)
I never pray for patience. Something always comes along to try it, and help me build that muscle. I just hope it happens. =)
Seriously, this is a good point. I was just listening to Music and the Spoken Word yesterday. He pointed out that sometimes we have to lie fallow and wait for spring.
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