4/2 Language of Letting Go
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 3,812
4/2 Language of Letting Go
You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go
Facing Our Darker Side
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
--Step Four of Al Anon
By the time we get to the Fourth of the Twelve Steps, we are ready to face our darker side, the side that prevents us from loving others, from letting others love us, and from enjoying life and ourselves. The purpose of Step Four is not to make ourselves feel worse; our purpose is to begin to remove our blocks to joy and love.
We look for fears, anger, hurt, and shame from past events - buried feelings that may be affecting our life today. We search for subconscious beliefs about others and ourselves that may be interfering with the quality of our relationships. These beliefs say: I'm not lovable . . . I'm a burden to those around me . . . People can't be trusted . . . I can't be trusted . . . I don't deserve to be happy and successful . . . Life isn't worth living. We look at our behaviors and patterns with an eye toward discerning the self-defeating ones. With love and compassion for ourselves, we try to unearth all our guilt - earned and unearned - and expose it to the light.
We perform this examination without fear of what we shall find, because this soul searching can cleanse us and help us feel better about ourselves than we ever dreamt possible.
God, help me search out the blocks and barriers within myself. Bring what I need to know into my conscious mind, so I can be free of it. Show me what I need to know about myself.
From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.
Facing Our Darker Side
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
--Step Four of Al Anon
By the time we get to the Fourth of the Twelve Steps, we are ready to face our darker side, the side that prevents us from loving others, from letting others love us, and from enjoying life and ourselves. The purpose of Step Four is not to make ourselves feel worse; our purpose is to begin to remove our blocks to joy and love.
We look for fears, anger, hurt, and shame from past events - buried feelings that may be affecting our life today. We search for subconscious beliefs about others and ourselves that may be interfering with the quality of our relationships. These beliefs say: I'm not lovable . . . I'm a burden to those around me . . . People can't be trusted . . . I can't be trusted . . . I don't deserve to be happy and successful . . . Life isn't worth living. We look at our behaviors and patterns with an eye toward discerning the self-defeating ones. With love and compassion for ourselves, we try to unearth all our guilt - earned and unearned - and expose it to the light.
We perform this examination without fear of what we shall find, because this soul searching can cleanse us and help us feel better about ourselves than we ever dreamt possible.
God, help me search out the blocks and barriers within myself. Bring what I need to know into my conscious mind, so I can be free of it. Show me what I need to know about myself.
From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.
IO Storm
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Southern California
Posts: 18,436
Thanks Cynay, 
I consider Melody Beattie and to be a heroine of our time.
Thinkig of my signature, I recall one of her stories where she had just been
through a divorce, and she and her little girl were sitting in front of the
TV with a spoon and a a bowl of ice cream. She was so weary and was
turning it over and was hoping to get some badly needed rest.
A tornado hit the house and took it all away in seconds.
Most would have screamed at God, she had so much practice in Letting Go
and she had nothing left but her shirt and underwear and her 5 year old
daughter and her underwear. Melody took it all as a clean slate and a
fresh start. She learned with stunning clarity what is truly important.
Step 4 Letting Go
I am working on this now, and it is not easy, but I have found that I
must take God in there with me to shine the light around so that I can see
from His point of view, and see what I need to see.
More is revealed as I am able to take it.
Love,
Sherry
I consider Melody Beattie and to be a heroine of our time.
Thinkig of my signature, I recall one of her stories where she had just been
through a divorce, and she and her little girl were sitting in front of the
TV with a spoon and a a bowl of ice cream. She was so weary and was
turning it over and was hoping to get some badly needed rest.
A tornado hit the house and took it all away in seconds.
Most would have screamed at God, she had so much practice in Letting Go
and she had nothing left but her shirt and underwear and her 5 year old
daughter and her underwear. Melody took it all as a clean slate and a
fresh start. She learned with stunning clarity what is truly important.
Step 4 Letting Go
I am working on this now, and it is not easy, but I have found that I
must take God in there with me to shine the light around so that I can see
from His point of view, and see what I need to see.
More is revealed as I am able to take it.
Love,
Sherry
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