Quick bump and thanks to the (absent?) friend who first posted this thread.
I find this hard to discuss seriously with some friends in AA but it captures my thoughts pretty well...the wording of Step 7 is quite specific for me...we offer ALL of ourselves...the good and the bad. We pray for the removal of defects that stand in the way of our usefulness. We don't pray for or expect the removal of ALL defects BECAUSE they stand in the way...we just ask for those barriers which get in the way to be removed. Pretty clear for me and a great basis for a working sense of humility.
As I understand it we ain't picking and choosing what needs fixing...and we ain't expecting to become perfect. We are just asking to become more useful...
I was discussing this with a friend (sponsee) recently. He has just taken service as a greeter at one of our meetings. At the end of the night he had a pang of conscience that he'd been a bit 'much' or a bit cocky in the way he welcomed and spoke to folks as they arrived. I didn't see that, just a young guy with the gift of the gab that put a smile on a few faces.
As we discussed...maybe God still has use for some of our defects...he puts us where he thinks we need to be and when it's time to let go of something, he'll let us know. Meanwhile he uses us warts and all
Good stuff
P