Humbly Asked Him

January 1966

“I AM the same person I was when I came into AA.” This statement, made recently at a meeting by a member with over three years’ sobriety, yielded a vigorous and quite unexpected reaction. “Whadya mean, you’re the same person?” most of the comments went. “You couldn’t possibly be the same person if you’ve been working the program, and besides, you wouldn’t stay sober very long.”

After things quieted down a bit, the bombshell thrower had a chance to explain what he meant. Sure, he could measure some growth, and he had learned to recognize and correct dangerous thinking. But he was basically still the same person. No startling personality changes had taken place, and he was still conscious of the same old shortcomings. He was able to stay sober because of a change in attitudes plus constant activity in AA.

There is some evidence from this and other experiences, that our shortcomings are never removed completely or permanently. Does this mean that Step Seven (Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings) doesn’t work? Certainly not, but if we stay sober a day at a time, can we expect the Steps to work for more than a day at a time? I believe it sufficient to ask Him to remove our shortcomings for today, and what’s more, fully expect that He will. But we may also expect to be handicapped by these same shortcomings another day, at which time the Step may be renewed.

Another fairly common observation in AA is that we have a tendency to rely too heavily, and perhaps blame everything, on God’s will. There are the if-you-want-potatoes-grab-a-hoe philosophers, who maintain that if things go badly, there is a tendency to say, “Oh, well, it’s God’s will,” and do nothing about it. Likewise, they say, if we ask God to remove our shortcomings and just sit back, nothing will happen.

I believe there is much validity in this approach, and I do not see in it a denial of Step Seven. We have already established a reliance on a Higher Power in Steps Two and Three, and Step Seven is merely a further expression of our faith. But the words are not enough–the intent must also be there. We are willing to do something about our shortcomings, but we cannot do it alone, and we humbly ask Him for help.

What about the agnostics? Is this Step out for them? I don’t think so. If you have trouble with “God,” try adding an “o.” I believe it is possible, and even desirable, to rely on the good in other people as a Higher Power. Certainly the spirit of love which pervades the Fellowship is sufficient to help me remove my shortcomings for today, and I am a Christian.

Finally, I do not see any “spiritual side” to this program. The whole thing is spiritual–the Steps, the Traditions, the meetings, the Twelfth Step calls, the literature–everything. There need not be a search for spirituality only in the Steps including the word “God.” If a member enters into the Fellowship whole-heartedly, he is apt to find that the familiar shortcomings aren’t popping up quite as often, even though he may not be conscious of having asked God to remove them recently. In my book, this is Step Seven at work.