STEP WORK
April 1, from “Strengthening My Recovery” daily reader
”If we are diligent in working ACA Twelve Steps, miracles occur that we could not imagine.” BRB p. 156
As we began our Step work, we may still have found ourselves thinking about others much more than ourselves. We looked for places to plug in to get the excitement we were used to. We hit up the inner drugstore and binged on the fruits of our crime. It was fun…until it wasn’t fun anymore.
As we have become more grounded in ACA, we are more relaxed in how we see things. We know we are not responsible for the world.
We have patience with ourselves, knowing that we won’t do our recovery work perfectly. We lighten up on our perfectionist attitudes; we release the unrealistic goals that may have been set for us long ago, either by ourselves or others.
As we cruise through the Steps, trusting our fellow travelers and ourselves, we also experience our Higher Power’s love unfolding in us one day at a time. We know we are not alone. This profound gift of recovery allows us to see the abuse that we tried to deny for so long. We value this process of self-discovery as we learn to reparent ourselves with the love and understanding we have always needed and deserved.
On this day I will acknowledge and appreciate my progress in each Step of this journey, whether I am on Step One or Step Twelve.
My Experience:
I am learning that the Steps are situated the way they are for a reason. You need the one before you get to the next. You need to gain trust of your sponsor in order to be able to share the things that need to be shared. I have heard about the “action steps”, however the “non-action steps” are just as important and equally difficult. Step 6, generally thought to be a “non-action” step is incredibly hard to complete. You must identify your defects of character. But how can I identify those if I am perfect? I needed the previous steps to show me that I am not perfect. However, it is still difficult to identify that I may be self-centered, judgmental, or greedy (just to name a few). If I am honest with myself, I am all that and a lot more. Then I have to ready myself to have these short-comings removed. These are the types of revelations that have come to me in working the steps, not someone pointing them out, but rather me taking an honest look at myself and seeing where improvements can be made. The Steps are a wonderful thing. Take the first step into a meeting and see.
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