Humbly asked Him (Step Seven)

[toad]

It was only by repeated humiliations that I was forced to learn something about humility. Humility was not something that I learned as a child. Humiliation was something I learned by having the disease of alcoholism. I remember times when I would pick myself up off the floor and wonder what had happened? Did someone say "shut up" and I though they said "stand up?" One of the last acts of humiliation in my active drinking and druging was when I was sentenced to 4 years in prison (suspended sentence), 5 years probation, 10 years suspension of drivers license, 30 days in county jail, and ordered to attend AA. The judge wanted me to do big time, but I had enough cash to see me through. When the system gets big money from you it has a way of teaching humility, and they know it.

By the grace of God, they forced me to attend AA, and you know something? I loved AA anyway! I had loved AA for years, I just wasn't very good at working the steps. I hadn't had a drink in 4 months when the sentence was handed down and was attending AA anyway. The year was 1996 and I had been involved in AA (in and out) for over 30 years at that time. I knew that for an alcoholic of my type that AA was the only thing that would work. I relapsed on April 20th 1997 because of a lack of humility. I developed a resentment against some people at church that had burned up one of my guitar amps. For years I said that a resentment and anger led me back to drinking, but today I know that it was a lack of humility caused by pride. I only set out to drink one night after being clean and sober for 10 months. It took 17 months to get back around the tables of AA. I almost died out there. The humiliation of the whole 17 months and the lessons I learned have been a foundation for not wanting to go back to drinking and using.

Today if I get very far from "Humbly asking Him" for help, I will find myself on dangerous ground...........God will do for me what I cannot do for myself, I know this, it has been proven over and over in my sobriety.

Thanks for letting me share........feel free to reply........toad

[toad]

Happy, joyous, and free by the grace of God.

I ask humbly.........remove my shortcomings Lord.........to You be the glory.

[Freedom1990]

Humility isn't thinking less of ourselves. It's thinking of ourselves less.

[toad]

"It was only by repeated humiliations that I was forced to learn something about humility. "

This was so true in my life when I was using. I knew nothing about humility except what I learned by picking myself up off the floor, spitting out a few teeth, and asking, "What happened?" Today I am able to draw upon my past experiences and try and have some genuine humility to keep from repeating the past. Here is something I heard at a meeting not too long ago. "If I drink, my past becomes my future."

Thanks for letting me share.

I quit smoking 7 years ago today.

[toad]

I can relate to this. Service work (and God) carried me through my first years of recovery. It's still working today too.

"For Dr. Bob, the insatiable craving for alcohol was evidently a physical phenomenon which bedeviled several of his first years in A.A., a time when only days and nights of carrying the message to other alcoholics could cause him to forget about drinking. Although his craving was hard to withstand, it doubtless did account for some part of the intense incentive that went into forming Akron's Group Number One.
Bob's spiritual release did not come easily; it was to be painfully slow. It always entailed the hardest kind of work and the sharpest vigilance."
AA comes of Age

[Fulldresser4]

"Today if I get very far from "Humbly asking Him" for help, I will find myself on dangerous ground...........God will do for me what I cannot do for myself, I know this, it has been proven over and over in my sobriety."

Once again...exactly what I needed to hear...if only I could learn it once and for all.

[toad]

Originally Posted by Fulldresser4

"Today if I get very far from "Humbly asking Him" for help, I will find myself on dangerous ground...........God will do for me what I cannot do for myself, I know this, it has been proven over and over in my sobriety."

Once again...exactly what I needed to hear...if only I could learn it once and for all.

You sharing with me today is just what I needed too "Baby" Bear.

[Fulldresser4]

AWWW...Baby Bear (((HUGS)))))

[toad]

Only by repeated humiliation did I learn about humility..............I am grateful for every ego-puncturing experience...........took some time to see this.

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by toad

It was only by repeated humiliations that I was forced to learn something about humility. Humility was not something that I learned as a child. Humiliation was something I learned by having the disease of alcoholism. I remember times when I would pick myself up off the floor and wonder what had happened? Did someone say "shut up" and I though they said "stand up?" One of the last acts of humiliation in my active drinking and druging was when I was sentenced to 4 years in prison (suspended sentence), 5 years probation, 10 years suspension of drivers license, 30 days in county jail, and ordered to attend AA. The judge wanted me to do big time, but I had enough cash to see me through. When the system gets big money from you it has a way of teaching humility, and they know it.

By the grace of God, they forced me to attend AA, and you know something? I loved AA anyway! I had loved AA for years, I just wasn't very good at working the steps. I hadn't had a drink in 4 months when the sentence was handed down and was attending AA anyway. The year was 1996 and I had been involved in AA (in and out) for over 30 years at that time. I knew that for an alcoholic of my type that AA was the only thing that would work. I relapsed on April 20th 1997 because of a lack of humility. I developed a resentment against some people at church that had burned up one of my guitar amps. For years I said that a resentment and anger led me back to drinking, but today I know that it was a lack of humility caused by pride. I only set out to drink one night after being clean and sober for 10 months. It took 17 months to get back around the tables of AA. I almost died out there. The humiliation of the whole 17 months and the lessons I learned have been a foundation for not wanting to go back to drinking and using.

Today if I get very far from "Humbly asking Him" for help, I will find myself on dangerous ground...........God will do for me what I cannot do for myself, I know this, it has been proven over and over in my sobriety.

Thanks for letting me share........feel free to reply........toad

Thanks for the share. God is good isn't He?!
That's a powerful story and I see that if you are around this program long enough, you are bound to get some of it on you!!
I have to daily ask Him to do for me what I can not do for myself. The thing is, He is faithful even when I'm not able. Think about that...
Blessings,
Chief

[toad]

had to read this thread again...........need it

[tabfan]

Toad,

Yup, it's a good one. I enjoyed reading ALL of this thread! Thanks for posting!

Friends of Bill W., -tabfan

[TonyB]

Right you are Toad.
For me, one day at a time means that I have work to do every day. The more I get to it, the more I get out of it. And it all starts with "face-time". That in it's own right means something completely different these days. Time on my face back in the day was usually associated with being face down in the street somewhere. Oh how far God has brought me. Item number two on the list is gratitude.
Thanks for the re-post.

[toad]

Originally Posted by TonyB

Right you are Toad.
For me, one day at a time means that I have work to do every day. The more I get to it, the more I get out of it. And it all starts with "face-time". That in it's own right means something completely different these days. Time on my face back in the day was usually associated with being face down in the street somewhere. Oh how far God has brought me. Item number two on the list is gratitude.
Thanks for the re-post.

Good to hear from you Tony....I pray all is well up north. The 12X12 says that humility is the foundation of the steps...so true. Without some humility we could not admit our powerlessness.

Sooo good to hear from you again........toad