The Seventh Step to Sanity
“[We] humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings”
In doing this seventh of the Twelve Steps, we are grappling with pride and humility, once again. 12Step.org tells us that Step 7 is similar to Step 3. “It is more specific, however, because now I have completed my personal inventory and so I have a better idea of the roots of my addictive behaviors.” Because of this, it helps us to not play games about these defects of character. If it is my pride that makes me believe that I can still live with these sources of temptation, then the sources need to go along with my pride.”
The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions say that the Seventh Step is where we make the change in our attitude which permits us, with humility as our guide, to move out from ourselves toward others and toward God. The whole emphasis of Step Seven is on humility.”
A Hunger for Healing says, “This is not a naive attitude suggesting we have in some way already ‘arrived’.” It goes on to explain that it is on this pathway to humility that the tools of recovery bring the healing, happiness, and security we have dreamed of.
Narcotics Anonymous’ Basic Text says that humility is as much a part of staying clean as food and water are to staying alive. The word humble applies because we approach this Power greater than ourselves to ask for the freedom to live without the limitations of our past ways. Many of us are willing to do it without reservations, on pure blind faith, because we are sick of what we have been doing and how we are feeling. Whatever works, we go all the way.”
Serenity, A Companion for Twelve Step Recovery says, that we need humility for three reasons:
1) So that we can recognize the severity of our character defects. One aspect of our addictions is that we tend to deny and minimize the pain they inflict. Therefore as we try to assess our character defects, we may, unless we take a very humble approach, underestimate their severity.
2) So that we can acknowledge the limits of human power in addressing these character defects. We cannot do it on our own. We cannot do it by sheer willpower. We cannot do it by our own intellect and reasoning.
3)So that we can appreciate the enormity of God’s power to transform lives.
It goes on to say that although Step 7 is the shortest step in terms of wording and is perhaps the least discussed in recovery groups, it is probably the most potent of the twelve.
The Twelve Step Program plays a large part in the recovery process at Transitions Recovery.
