...we decided to turn our will and our life over to God as we understood Him. Just what do we mean by that, and just what do we do? The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success.
He may be kind, considerate, patient, generous; even modest and self-sacrificing. On the other hand, he may be mean, egotistical, selfish and dishonest.
What usually happens? The show doesn't come off very well. He begins to think life doesn't treat him right. He decides to exert himself more. He becomes on the next occasion, still more demanding or gracious, as the case may be.
Admitting he may be somewhat at fault, he is sure that other people are more to blame.
Is he not really a self-seeker even when trying to be kind?
Is he not a victim of the delusion that he can rest satisfaction and happiness out of this world if he only manages well?
Whatever our protestations, are not most of us concerned with ourselves, our resentments, or our self-pity?
Selfishness – self-centeredness! That, we think is the root of our troubles.
Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate.
... we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt.
The alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so.
Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness.
Neither could we reduce our self-centeredness much by wishing or trying on our own power. We had to have God's help.
This is the how and why of it. First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn't work.
Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going to be our Director.
We became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs.
We were reborn.
Our liquor was but a symptom.
Resentment is the "number one "offender.
When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.
We listed people, institutions or principles with whom we were angry.
The first thing apparent was that this world and its people were often quite wrong.
To conclude that others were wrong was as far as most of us ever got.
Sometimes it was remorse and then we were sore at ourselves.
It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness.
But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely grave. We found that it is fatal. For when harboring such feelings we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit.
We began to see that the world and its people really dominated us.
We realized that the people who wronged us were perhaps spiritually sick.
We asked God to help us show them the same tolerance, pity, and patience that we would cheerfully grant a sick friend.
When a person offended us, we said to ourselves, "This a sick man. How can I be helpful to him?
We avoid retaliation or argument. We wouldn't treat sick people that way.
We reviewed our fears thoroughly. We put them on paper, even though we had no resentment in connection with them. We asked ourselves why we had them.
For we are now on a different basis; the basis of trusting and relying upon God. We are in the world to play the role he assigns.
Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity?
…we let Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do.