“Let’s make a list of all the things the world has put you through” — (Lyric) Things Happen, Dawes
So we make some time for ourselves. We sit down, pen and paper in hand… and we start the Fourth Step. We’ve gotten the instructions from the Big Book, and if we're confused, like so many of us are, we ask someone in AA to help us understand what to do. We don’t have to figure this thing out alone anymore.
We’ve told our life’s story plenty of times before. Usually on a barstool, to people who weren’t really listening, or who were just as lost as we were. But the way they have us do it here is different. This isn’t storytelling for laughs or free beers anymore. The same stories, with this new method is going to be useful to us now. So we start.
And the truth is, the hardest part is writing down that first name. Once the pen hits the paper, it gets real. No more running it through our heads, no more editing the story to make ourselves look better. Just honest, simple truth.
And somewhere in the middle of it, we remember we’re not doing this alone.We remember God is right there with us. Not shaking His head, not keeping score… just a proud Father, quietly rooting on his kid as we try to get free of resentment.
So we keep going. One name, one line, one truth at a time. Because this isn’t about beating ourselves up. This is about finally getting free.
So are you willing to put it on paper… or are you still trying to outrun your own story in your head?
