7 of 12: A Dozen Days of Twelve Step Concepts

Welcome to the seventh of twelve posts on the original Twelve Steps interpreted anew by author Bill B., whose Compulsive Overeater (1981) came to be written after his personal success with Overeater's Anonymous, a twelve step program fashioned after Alcoholics Anonymous, with Bill W. as co-founder.  I have no affiliation with either organization; and links to these organizations, the book to which I refer can be readily found in the first of this series, 1 of 12:  A Dozen Days of Twelve Step Concepts.  Redundancy precludes further reference in this series; and any additional texts to which I refer will be linked in these later posts.

Step Seven:

"Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings."

Bill B. refers to the book, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 76, noting, "if humility could enable us to find the grace with banished our greatest obsession, then there must be hope that humility will also help us remove any other problem we could possibly have.  We can banish problems - if we have humility."  This isn't about self-abasement, groveling, or making oneself "less-than," but rather seeing oneself with vision unclouded by self-protective fears and pride.

Humans tend to craft elaborate stories about shortcomings to project blame onto anything or anyone but ourselves.  We protect the ego the the peril of our higher potential.  Others in your life, some past hurt, even a catastrophic event may have initiated patterns of behavior you're now seeking to disrupt and dispel; but those people, that hurt, the moment in time your life felt wrecked for sure - they did nothing to perpetuate the problem.  I'm reminded of the 1974 Smokey Bear campaign slogan, "Only YOU can prevent forest fires."  The proverbial kindling may be abundant in your life, but you're the one who decides if it becomes ashes or if you relinquish the flamethrower so you can heal.

https://images.app.goo.gl/D7vCstQfkVRb9iZo9

Own it, and you have the power to overcome it.  

Feel free to quote me on that.

Bill B. quotes a prayer from the Big Book, and reading it made me see my four decades of devotion to God in an entirely different light.  That phrase stopped me in my tracks, "...You should have all of me, good and bad..."  It is clear to me now, that I want to give God my best, and I ask His forgiveness for my failings; but that's not the same as giving him the "good and bad" with equal eagerness.  I see now that was arrogant and naive, ultimately self-destructive.

If I don't give God the parts of me I see as unlovable, I'm carrying around a big chunk of weight I don't need (1 Peter 5:6-7).  Jesus' sacrifice is for all of us (Romans 5:18-21), for all of me, not just to forgive, but to heal and to bring peace (Isaiah 53).  He is big enough, strong enough, and present enough to do all those things and more when I release my grip on the reigns and ask Him to drive my vessel to higher ground (Ephesians 3:14-21).

Jotting with Johnna:

• If you wrote a letter to God and listed the parts of your life (which can actually never really be separate from the whole) you have given Him, would it include the parts of yourself - your life - you see as "bad?"
• What haven't you handed over and why?
• Do you see God as compassionate and capable enough to want all of you?

Remember:
God wants you so much He gave up everything to win your soul (John 3:16-17); and because of His investment in you, you are so very worthy of His acceptance and covering.  This is not because of anything you could ever do or undo (Ephesians 2:4-10), but in spite of the shortcomings you insist on carrying.  Let them go, and then see what happens.

Stay tuned.  Stay focused.  Stay well.