Step Six
“Were entirely ready to have
“Were entirely ready to have
God remove all these
defects of character.”
If we have done a thorough job on steps four and five, step six is the next logical step. It sounds pretty simple but as we dig a bit deeper, we will find land mines. Many of us, having offered complete surrender to God in the area of our drinking, were granted a miracle of release. The desire to have that drink was lifted from us.
We’ve turned our lives over to the care of God, done a searching and fearless inventory of our character defects, and admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. So what could possibly be so hard about being ready to have God remove all these defects of character? The key word here is “entirely.”
“How many of us have this degree of readiness? In an absolute sense, practically nobody has it. The best we can do, with all the honesty we can summon, is to try to have it. Even then the best of us will discover to our dismay that there is always a sticking point, a point at which we say, “No, I can’t give this up yet.” And we shall often tread on even more dangerous ground when we cry, “This I will never give up!” Such is the power of our instincts to over-reach themselves. No matter how far we have progressed, desires will always be found which oppose the grace of God.” Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 65
It’s easy for us to see our faults that are of an extreme nature. If our character fault is such that it would cost us our job or land us in jail, we can usually manage to squelch the urge to indulge in the behavior.
“Not much spiritual effort is involved in avoiding excesses which will bring us punishment anyway. But when we face up to the less violent aspects of these very same defects, then where do we stand?” page 66
It is time to face an important fact; we actually like some of our character defects. Not just a little bit but a whole lot. How many bloggers, for instance, really have pure intentions as the motivating factor for what they write? How many of us want to feel a bit superior or smarter than someone else? I can’t speak to the motives of others, but I constantly have to guard against the desire for attention or acclamation.
Make a list of your milder defects and ask yourself if you are really ready to give them up. This is where the fun starts. Do you really want to give up, for instance, all that “self-righteous” anger? It feels so good to hit someone with a zinger, either in print or in person. I can spend whole days just wallowing in my anger. After all, I have a right to be angry, don’t I?
I know this sounds like we are attempting to be perfect. But that is exactly what God expects from us. Are we going to make it? No, but we must keep trying. Only Step One, admitting we were powerless, can be attained with any degree of perfection.
“The remaining eleven steps state perfect ideals. They are goals toward which we look, and the measuring sticks by which we estimate our progress. Seen in this light, Step Six is still difficult, but not at all impossible. The only urgent thing is that we make a beginning, and keep trying.” Page 68
If we have done a thorough job on steps four and five, step six is the next logical step. It sounds pretty simple but as we dig a bit deeper, we will find land mines. Many of us, having offered complete surrender to God in the area of our drinking, were granted a miracle of release. The desire to have that drink was lifted from us.
We’ve turned our lives over to the care of God, done a searching and fearless inventory of our character defects, and admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. So what could possibly be so hard about being ready to have God remove all these defects of character? The key word here is “entirely.”
“How many of us have this degree of readiness? In an absolute sense, practically nobody has it. The best we can do, with all the honesty we can summon, is to try to have it. Even then the best of us will discover to our dismay that there is always a sticking point, a point at which we say, “No, I can’t give this up yet.” And we shall often tread on even more dangerous ground when we cry, “This I will never give up!” Such is the power of our instincts to over-reach themselves. No matter how far we have progressed, desires will always be found which oppose the grace of God.” Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 65
It’s easy for us to see our faults that are of an extreme nature. If our character fault is such that it would cost us our job or land us in jail, we can usually manage to squelch the urge to indulge in the behavior.
“Not much spiritual effort is involved in avoiding excesses which will bring us punishment anyway. But when we face up to the less violent aspects of these very same defects, then where do we stand?” page 66
It is time to face an important fact; we actually like some of our character defects. Not just a little bit but a whole lot. How many bloggers, for instance, really have pure intentions as the motivating factor for what they write? How many of us want to feel a bit superior or smarter than someone else? I can’t speak to the motives of others, but I constantly have to guard against the desire for attention or acclamation.
Make a list of your milder defects and ask yourself if you are really ready to give them up. This is where the fun starts. Do you really want to give up, for instance, all that “self-righteous” anger? It feels so good to hit someone with a zinger, either in print or in person. I can spend whole days just wallowing in my anger. After all, I have a right to be angry, don’t I?
I know this sounds like we are attempting to be perfect. But that is exactly what God expects from us. Are we going to make it? No, but we must keep trying. Only Step One, admitting we were powerless, can be attained with any degree of perfection.
“The remaining eleven steps state perfect ideals. They are goals toward which we look, and the measuring sticks by which we estimate our progress. Seen in this light, Step Six is still difficult, but not at all impossible. The only urgent thing is that we make a beginning, and keep trying.” Page 68
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." James 4:10
3 comments:
Finding those subtle imperfections in us can be a daunting task. But it speaks volumes of human nature when we can find the most insignificant blemishes in others.
Our character defects are comfortable. They're familiar. We know them. They've been around for a while. And in some cases we've convinced ourselves that they "work" for us. In my struggle with depression I'm learning that I just might not want it to go away. It can be a very convenient excuse. It gets me attention. It keeps me in a place I know.
Now, there is a part of depression overwhich I have no control. But there is a part I can control at this point in my struggle. Usually I can choose whether or not I will give in to it on any given day. Not always, but a lot of the time. And it's much easier to give in. But, with God's help, I can choose to fight it and that is always for the better.
Satan speaks in subtle whispers, urging us to give in to our defects. But God wants to remove them. He desires our happiness. And if we can't yet ask God to remove our defects, we can begin by asking God for the courage to pray that He remove them or pray that He make us ready to remove them.
God will help and support us no matter what if we just ask. And just as we have to crawl before we can walk, so too with the spiritual life. But, we have to move.
okay, there's a few on that list I need to deal with. Fear of dealing with it is also a defect I would like to be rid of.
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