STEP # 7 - We humbly asked Him (God) to remove our shortcomings.
Step # 7 really flies in the face of addiction. Addiction is all about control.
Controlling others...
Controlling events...
Controlling the past as well as the future, with no thought about today.
Now here in Step # 7 we see the word "Humble."
Humble?
What does that mean......."humble"?
"I don't know if I like that word or not."
When some people think of being humble or the act of humbling themselves, they see it as a state of defeat. I have lost and now I must humble myself. I have to grovel and beg someone for something. I must be humble.
Well, that may be the way you see humble, but not me.
Humble means to agree with God who God says I am. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Humble means I have the ability to follow directions.
Humble means I can be in a crowd and..........be in a crowd. I don't have to stick out or be the center of attention. I am humble.
Being humble is at the heart of being powerless.
I no longer have to be in control, because the evidence of my life shows that I am incapable of controlling anything. I live under the self-delusion that I am in control.
Here's the tricky part.
We have become so use to calling the shots, that we will ask for God's help as long as he does it the way we want it done, on our terms. Well......guess what? God doesn't work that way. That is why being humble is so important.
I love the story from Jeremiah18:1-6. This kind of highlights what i refer to as "The Divine Pecking Order." In other words, God is God...he's in charge....I'm not.
Let's take a look at the passage from Jeremiah.
The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, God down to the shop where clay pots and jars are made. I will speak to you while you are there. So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so the potter squashed the jar into a lump of clay and started again.
God is the potter and, you guessed it, I'm the lump of clay.
God has plans and intentions for me, to shape me and mold me.
I don't like his plans, so I become stiff and unyielding to him.
God wants me to be a flower vase. Me? I want to be a cereal bowl.
Who wins?
No brainer. God! I must humble myself as I work the steps and allow God to remove all my shortcomings. One thing that the step doesn't tell you is that whenever God removes something.............he always puts something back better than the original. God doesn't simply leave me empty handed. The more I can see that this entire process is for my good...then I can choose to humble myself and allow God to work in me.
Again we look to Jeremiah 17.
This is what the LORD says, "Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the LORD." Looking to our own strength and ability to bring change to our hearts. Like I always say....."If Step # 1 states that I am the problem....the how can I also be the solution? EUREKA! I can't. Enter....HUMBLE! I turn to God and Step# 7 is on. Removal kicks in and I continue on through the Steps.
Turning our life over to God means that we are placing our hope and confidence in him instead of people. People who can disappoint us. When I look to my own ability or strength to make my recovery work, it like expecting a tree to grow and flourish in a barren desert.
Turn loose....
Humble yourself....
Let God!
God on you....
Thanks for stopping by today. I mean it!
mb
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