"We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."— Step Six
Either we're entirely ready to have God remove these defects of character, or we're not. Either we're going to let go of anger, pride, greed, lust, and fear, or we're going to keep carrying them around. Either we're going to act on the love, forgiveness, and spiritual principles we've found in recovery, or we're going to act on one of these defects instead. You can go with this, or you can go with that.
How far are you willing to go for a character defect? Does resentment turn into a mean texting war that wastes hours and leaves two people further apart than before? Does anger show up behind the wheel, convincing you that a stranger on the highway deserves your wrath? Does lust have you chasing attention and excitement while doing the bare minimum for your recovery? Does greed convince you that material things deserve more of your time than helping another alcoholic? Does fear keep you frozen in place when you already know the next right thing to do?
The funny thing about A.A.'s spiritual program is that it works. We start feeling better. Life gets better. Relationships improve. The obsession lifts. And then sometimes the ego sneaks back in and says, "Look what I did." The same ego that got us into trouble in the first place suddenly wants credit for the miracle.
Step Six asks a simple question: now that you know both paths, which one are you choosing today?
Have you ever watched a character defect slowly convince you it was actually helping you?
