STEP 7
Humility
“Humbly ask Him to remove our shortcomings.”
Recovering clients ask the higher power to eliminate character defects, which may include impulsivity, selfishness, impatience, or anger. In order to do this, clients must admit they are not strong enough to remove these character flaws on their own. The spiritual principle behind this step is humility.
A SOZO Client’s Point of View:
“Because I was now familiar with the serenity prayer and the lord’s prayer, and found both of these prayers to be helpful, I decided to follow advice heard in A.A. meetings and use the seventh step prayer listed on page 76 of our big book, “alcoholics anonymous”, to formally ask God to remove my shortcomings. So, I got on my knees with my sponsor and said the seventh step prayer to God. “My creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen”. Our big book then continues, “we have then completed step seven.”
I was moved as never before. I now know that the spiritual experience that I felt at this moment was the result of my being utterly and completely willing and filled with humility. I have always been very grateful that my sponsors and friends encouraged me to spend sufficient time on steps 6 & 7.”
PRINCIPLED RECOVERY SERIES – 12 STEPS TO SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) defines the 12 Steps as “a set of principles, spiritual in nature, when practiced as a way of life, that can expel the obsession to drink (or use drugs) and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole.”
The 12 steps are a process of getting honest with yourself, cleaning up the wreckage of your past, and learning how to live your life in a better, more meaningful & principled way. Based on the idea of God as each individual understands him, the 12 steps are generally spiritual in nature.
In this article series, we examine each of the 12 step principles from a SOZO client’s perspective, as they journey through the twelve steps. Through direct survey feedback, we’ll join various clients and their growing awareness of the spiritual principles behind each step in this series of articles.