Step Seven
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Posts: 2,274
Step Seven
Step Seven: We humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings.
Anyone worked this step lately or working it now? I'm working this step currently and would be interested in receiving some experience, strength, and hope.
Anyone worked this step lately or working it now? I'm working this step currently and would be interested in receiving some experience, strength, and hope.
No expectations!
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 8,732
I don't know of an NA Seventh Step prayer, so I use the one from Alcoholics Anonymous and it serves very well, I think. I don't have much else to share with you except that I felt really good after doing my Seventh Step!! Best wishes to you, REZ!!
Love and hugs,
Eddie
Love and hugs,
Eddie
Awenasa
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Evans, GA
Posts: 8
hmm.. well I asked for mine to be removed and some were right away and others are slow and I have been asking again a little differently. I guess my HP is doing what I can handle. I know I should be thankful I have not had everything removed at once. I think I might like to hang on to some of them! ;> Sometimes I just get very tired of dealing with all my junk. Right now I am facing fear of myself, self confidence. Having to learn to love me. I just keep praying and say the serenity prayer over and over and over....
Vision of Hope
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Living on This side of the green!!
Posts: 1,057
This is our road to spiritual growth. We change every day to gradually, carefully and simply pull ourselves out of the isolation and loneliness of addiction into the mainstream of life. This comes not from wishing, but from action and prayer. The main objective of Step Seven is to get out of ourselves and strive for achieving the will of our Higher Power.
If we are careless and fail to grasp the spiritual meaning of this step, we may have difficulties and stir up old troubles. One danger is in being too hard on ourselves.
Sharing with other addicts in recovery helps us to not become morbidly serious about ourselves. Accepting the defects of others can help us become humble enough to be relieved of our own defects. God often works through those who care enough about our recovery to help make us aware of our shortcomings.
We have noticed that humility plays a big part in this Program and our new way of life. We take our inventory; we become ready to let God remove our defects of character; we humbly ask Him to remove our shortcomings. This is our road to spiritual growth and we will want to continue.
If we are careless and fail to grasp the spiritual meaning of this step, we may have difficulties and stir up old troubles. One danger is in being too hard on ourselves.
Sharing with other addicts in recovery helps us to not become morbidly serious about ourselves. Accepting the defects of others can help us become humble enough to be relieved of our own defects. God often works through those who care enough about our recovery to help make us aware of our shortcomings.
We have noticed that humility plays a big part in this Program and our new way of life. We take our inventory; we become ready to let God remove our defects of character; we humbly ask Him to remove our shortcomings. This is our road to spiritual growth and we will want to continue.
Character defects are those things which cause pain and misery all of our lives. If they really contributed to our health and happiness, we would not have come to such a state of desperation. We had to become ready to have God remove these defects.
Step 7 is an awesome step, Humility and Pride don't belong together. Also, I learned Iont decide which defects go and which ones stay because I am not entirely ready. LOL When I looked at the defect in the 6th step, I was entirely ready to have them removed because I dug deep into each one and exposed them and looked at what makes me uncomfortable.
As far as a 7th step prayer, I use one that helps me get closer to God and realize that I have to take action. Each individual I believe needs one to help them get with God.
Do you think they put "This is our road to spiritual growth" in there more than once by accident? I don't!!!
If we are careless and fail to grasp the spiritual meaning of this step, we may have difficulties and stir up old troubles.
I spent almost 18 months on step 6, not because I was lazy or complacent, because after seeing what makes me tick for so many years, so called "Recovery" included in the 4th and 5th step, I needed to get to the core of my very existance in the 6th step and move to the next level of Surrender, now in the 7th step I am at a new level of surrender, Humility, Believeing that God will do for me what I can not do for my self, My willingness to let God do for me and others to help me in this process. Thats why the first 3 steps build this foundation and the rest of the steps wont work without really comuing to believe in the 2nd step.
Hope this makes some sense to you!!
Peace,
Todd J.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Pugetopolis
Posts: 2,384
I'm in AA, so I'm not familiar with the NA approach. But the steps are the steps, so probably not a lot of difference. How I've taken The Seventh Step is to simply say the prayer in the AA book, and then get on with steps eight & nine. Somehow the change began to happen in me as I began to clear up the past and became truly conscious of how my defects, through my words and actions had hurt others. As I clean up the past, I commence to make this a way of living in steps ten, eleven, and twelve. More mistakes, more growth, more change.
Jim
Jim
No expectations!
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 8,732
"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."
I'm in NA, but I still use the above 7th Step Prayer from Alcoholics Anonymous. REZ, do you know of a specific NA 7th Step Prayer? I'd be very interested to see one.
Thanks for your post, Jim!! I think in general, we work the Steps much more slowly in NA. We have a book of Step-working Guides which some refer to as the Workbook. It is full of questions on each Step and, I believe, very thorough.
Hope y'all are having a good weekend!!
Love and hugs,
Eddie
I'm in NA, but I still use the above 7th Step Prayer from Alcoholics Anonymous. REZ, do you know of a specific NA 7th Step Prayer? I'd be very interested to see one.
Thanks for your post, Jim!! I think in general, we work the Steps much more slowly in NA. We have a book of Step-working Guides which some refer to as the Workbook. It is full of questions on each Step and, I believe, very thorough.
Hope y'all are having a good weekend!!
Love and hugs,
Eddie
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