A RESTING PLACE
All of A.A.’s Twelve Steps ask us
to go contrary to our natural desires . . .
they all deflate our egos.
When it comes to ego deflation,
few Steps are harder to take than Five.
But scarcely any Step is more necessary
to longtime sobriety
and peace of mind than this one.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 55
After writing down my character defects,
I was unwilling to talk about them,
and decided it was time
to stop carrying this burden alone.
I needed to confess those defects to someone else.
I had read – and been told –
I could not stay sober unless I did.
Step Five provided me with a feeling of belonging,
with humility and serenity
when I practiced it in my daily living.
It was important to admit my defects of character
in the order presented in Step Five:
“to God, to ourselves and to another human being.”
Admitting to God first paved the way
for admission to myself and to another person.
As the taking of the Step is described,
a feeling of being at one with God and my fellow man
brought me to a resting place
where I could prepare myself for the remaining Steps
toward a full and meaningful sobriety.
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