Alike

Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

The difference between a shortcoming and a character defect?
A short coming is say when one picks their nose
A defect is when one eats it - lol

What one does when alone tells if they are ready or not.

intention

Hi Alike

I don't understand what you mean here?


For me I was ready after working Step 4 and 5. I followed the instructions in the book, last paragraph of p75. After seeing the truth of my inventories I found it easy to be willing to have God remove all the defects.

Alike

Originally Posted by Alike View Post
What one does when alone tells if they are ready or not.


Hi intention
Hope you had a great day.
Are you not understanding looking from the physical scene or spiritual sense?

The six step states "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."
What one does when alone will tell who the person is -

Alone in the physical sense
Simple not being able to use the God given resources we all have at the moment.

Alone with the Spirit
In other words being true to "thy self" without outside institutional direction.
Being able to "intuitively" handle situations that use to baffle them
Being responsible for ones own actions without pleading insanity.

Not everyone is ready even with years some cannot walk like they talk when they are alone or even with others for that matter, many do if they have the capacity of being honest with "themselves".

It could be said that ones actions speak louder than words

A.A. states that no human power can relive us
A power greater than "OUR" Self's

Bottom line is "Only but for the Grace of God" there go I

I hope this has help to understand rather than be understood


All BB Quotes are from 1st. Edition

Alike

Hi intention
"I found it easy to be willing to have God remove all the defects."

God can remove any character defect people can't thats why we have jails.

I was willing a lot I assure you just wasn't done till I was ready.

Have a good night sober friend Alike

Taking5

A shortcoming and a character defect are one and the same. Bill Wilson, who wrote the steps, was interviewed about this, he said he simply did not want to use the same words twice. So clearly they were the same to Bill Wilson.

Have you finished step 5? It is time to take step 6. If you do not feel "entirely ready" (not just "ready" but "entirely ready") then I suspect you have held something back at step 4 or 5.

Time to talk to your sponsor.

Alike

Surely it's time to take a closer look at a step as the delusions are astonishing as step two maybe real -

Not having the "personal" willingness it takes to do step two is known as two stepping in A.A. which involves avoiding Step 3 A.A. calling on the bleeding deacons as the illusions can get astonishing.

A.A.'s ideas of no human power can relive us is an interesting one to watch the as unbelievers in the A.A. ideas come and go like a stream not catching on to the part where A.A. states that God could an would if sought.

You will know if your ready even when push comes to shove.

A.A. is a place where alcoholism is well and alive that's why its best to stay close to the groups away from the illusions and delusions that someone else is or even someone else is or was involved in my alcoholism -

Thank God for the developed of prayer and on a privet individual base (alone) in morning meditation within instead of being easily diverted by the phone or religious ways and for my own good one more time mind ya .

Trust in God first then clean House second and give freely of what you find third - is the great simple A.A. idea glad it was wrote down to look back on or may have gotten easily diverted.
A.A. the greatest place to develop and watch
One can deni what the hear but its harder to deni what we see
Alcoholism cunning baffling and powerful beyond human aid thank God for the simple clear and basic steps.

The steps are good and belong to anyone the Traditions of A.A. are Great and belong to A.A. alone many try and many fail yet A.A.'s message keeps on thanks to oractical earthly A.A. Tradition.

Alike

Do i hear A.A. right that those that do not recover are those that cannot become honest "with themselves"?

A.A is some good stuff

johnmc

steps 6 and 7 are , in my humble opinion, the most misunderstood of them all. For what its worth this is my understanding of them.

In steps 4 and 5 I saw, analyized and shared the "nature" of my wrongs, the things that had been driving me to commit the harms and not necesarily the harms themselves.

For me its was self centred fear, fear of losing what i had or not getting what i want, when i want it. Mix it up any way you like but the true nature of all my wrongs was self centred fear driving me to resentment, anger, self pity and destruction causing more fear and harm along the way.

so what is it that i want to be willing to have removed by God......the self centred fear, the selfishness, the dishonesty and intolerant unloving behaviour is what i need hlp with.

what i am really asking myself in step 6 is..."am i ready with gods help to change, to become a better person, to have my fears removed and start to become the person God wants me to be? How do i do this..... i trust in God, thy will be done not mine.....step 6 for me is a reconfirmation of step 3.

i have seen the damage through living a life on self will and the reason i drank(no power) now i want to stop living that way and allow God to direct me, allow the God of my understanding to run the show,gain the power i need as a mental defence against the first drink.

Am i willing to stop being selfish and be more selfless, think of others and put my life in Gods hands.

If the answer is yes i am willing to have God remove my defects of character, the selfishness, inconsiderateness, dishonesty and intolerance.

Will God wave his heavenly wand and all will be well...........will he balls...........i still have self will, i have to make a commitment that i want to change, use God as my constant guide to what decisions i make, how i make them,again thy will not mine be done.

If i am ready to change and allow God to be my constant guide i am ready for step 7.

Shortcomings??? where have i been falling short? As a father, a son, a friend, a worker etc etc etc Character defects are the behaviours i have had that i do not want, selfishness, dishonesty, fear, prejidice etc etc etc and my shortcomings are the things i want but am falling short of being , again a good father, son etc etc etc

so i guess in a way they are the same thing or at least lead to the same thing but in themselves they are not, dont think the founder members would have give us two steps when one would have sufficed.

being ready to change in step 6 is not the same as changing in step 7. I knew i was 100% ready to change when i started to make my amends, that showed a change inmy behaviour.

if when we get to step 6 we are not ready to change we have not seen the simple truth that it is our behaviour of the past that is blocking out the sunlight of the spirit and keeping us firmly planted in a position of powerlessness and drinking. IE... if not ready to change we have not done the first five steps fully.

when we see that it is our own selves causing our downfall we want to change, why? because if we dont we drink and to drink is to die, for an alcoholic like me anyway.

having said all that if we expect God to change us with no effort on our behalf we are a long way from being restored to sanity. It is a program of action and our actions with Gods help and guidance bring about the change, an entire psychic one sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism and a life that is happy, joyous, free and beyond our wildest dreams, thats my experience anyway.

steps 1 and 2 the problem and soluton

step 3 my plan for living

steps 4 and 5 i look at the past

steps 6 and 7 i change my behaviour in the future

steps 8 and 9 i take care of the past

steps 10 and 11 i begin to truly live in the day

step 12 i am freed and begin to practise these principles in all my affairs and pass a message of hope to those who want and need it.

what a life, thank you God, thy will not mine be done

May YOUR God go with you and keep coming back, it works when we WORK it.

Alike

Ready for what? LOL

You will know for it is what you do when your alone that will tell if ones ready or not - Take the steps they belong to everyone -The difference between a shortcoming and a charter defect -A shortcoming is when someone picks their nose -
A character defect is when someone eats it LOL

The ones that can work the Traditions belong only to those of A.A.
Steps are good
A.A's Traditions are GREAT!!!!!!