June 31st
There is no such thing as June 31st.
A dear family friend taught me years ago that I could figure out which months have 30 days and which have 31 by using the knuckles on my hand.
Every month this year, I’ve been citing the step of the 12 steps that corresponds to each month.
There’s been so much happening, that the end of June crept up on me.
This is the sixth step, “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”
In essence, maybe it’s okay I didn’t get to step 6 till month 7, cuz it relates a lot to step 7, as well as the previous two steps:
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
Steps 1-3 are an essential foundation for steps 4-7 (and the rest of the steps). Steps 4-7 are thematically related.
When I learned about taking a moral inventory of ourselves (step 4), I was told it includes not only areas where we need improvement, but also our strengths. I find it interesting that, that being the case, step 5 focuses solely on “our wrongs” and step 6 on our “defects of our character.” They are not exactly hitting home the point that we are to be recognizing and giving attention to our strengths as well. Owning our strengths helps us face our “defects”—a word that many don’t really take to, it sounds pretty harsh—can think of them more like skills we developed as tactics of survival which we now no longer need and have grown out of, and, in fact, work against rather than for our greater good.
Step 6 is about, having recognized these “defects” no longer serve us, we let them go—give them to G-d, so to speak. This is, by the way, a gradual process, not an instant “I’m all fixed!” sorta thing. 12 steps certainly is a “the journey is the destination” kinda experience as the shifting is gradual and progress takes time and necessitates patience—which, if you’re like me, is something you are working on attaining more of!
Wait, so step 7 is “Humbly asked G-d to remove our shortcomings.”
I thought we did that in step 6?
Nope!
Step 6 is, “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”
We don’t give them over to G-d yet.
We prepare ourselves to do so. We become ready.
This is very fascinating.
A step that is all about being ready for the process that follows.
This shows us that becoming ready is a step in and of itself.
It is not a give-in. It is not instant.
And there is work in readying ourselves to giving up something, some coping mechanism, some mindset, that we have held so near and dear to our hearts and minds for so long.
Something that feels to intimate and visceral to ourselves.
But is in fact not a part of our essence.
And something we can release; toward the purpose of becoming closer to our essence and closer to our Higher Power (i.e. G-d).
And with all that being said, I now realize why our strengths are not mentioned in these steps. Since we are not seeking to give our strengths away. Rather, they continue to be a foundation for us as we work on our areas that could use improvement.
Also by Author: