Good morning everyone!

We are on Page 75. Paragraph 2 includes the 5th Step promises:

"Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can
look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears
fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had
certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience. The
feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. We feel
we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the
Universe."

There is some wonderful stuff there. This is where we really start to clear
that channel between God and ourselves and begin to feel the power of His
presence in our lives.

I will admit to you right here that I did not have good sponsorship in my
early sobriety, so I struggled terribly with the 5th Step. It was the most
difficult step for me. (I tried to take my first 5th step with my cat! Needless
to say, it didn't work.)

When I finally did sit with another human being, I still hung on to some
secrets I planned to take to my grave. By my 5th sobriety anniversary, I was in
bad shape. I was finally urged by a dear friend to deal with it. I'm forever
grateful that I did. I now walk this earth a free woman.

When I sponsor other women through the 5th step, we go through her 4th step
inventory thoroughly. We discuss every character defect. We uncover every
secret, hidden thing. We do our very best to be fearless and thorough. I share
much of my 5th step with her along the way, so she'll know she is not alone and
most certainly not the worst woman in the world. We cry, we laugh, we talk, and
we dig.

Today, my life is an open book. Shame and guilt are no longer associated with
the way that I live. It is no longer necessary to hide the things that I do or
say because I try to live along spiritual lines. Step 5 was the integral step in
beginning this road, "the Broad Highway, to freedom."

In order to prevent having to repeat the 4th and 5th Steps, my sponsor
directed me to begin self examination each day using Step 10. Later in this
study, we will see how Step 10 incorporates the same ideas and principles that
have been expressed in Steps 4 and 5. By practicing Step 10 daily, I avoid
building up a load of trash, so I never have the need to take a second 4th Step.
I take the trash out every day. That is also why it says "Continued to take
personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it" in Step 10, for
we have commenced to do this as we straightened out the past.

So, how long do we wait to proceed on to Step 6? Paragraph 3 on page 75
answers that question:

"Returning home we find a place where we can be quiet for an hour, carefully
reviewing what we have done."

For an hour, not a year!

Now we again examine that spiritual structure we have previously discussed on
pages 12, 47, and 62:

"Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask if we have omitted
anything, for we are building an arch through which we shall a free man at
last."

The spiritual structure is an arch and each of the preceding steps have built
upon each other to build this arch. If we have not been thorough, our structure
will crumble. Reviewing our previous work is essential.

It will take us a while to get through this chapter. There is a lot of ground
to cover—Steps 5 through 11 in one chapter! In our next post we will proceed to
page 76 and the discussion of Steps 6 and 7.

With love,
Karen








Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
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ø!º°^°º!ø,¸¸,ø!º°^°º!ø,¸
DOS: 05/17/1993
http://www.geocities.com/kclark_95621







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