April 18

We as addicts have trouble being Humble. In the past, we usually had to get humiliated to recognize we have been beaten and need help. We placed our wants in front of our needs and the needs of others.

We felt we needed to manage and control every aspect of our Lives. We refused to ask for Help, especially when we needed it. Our egos prevented us from seeing our liabilities and our humanness.

In the Fifth and Sixth Steps, we learn that part of being human is asking for Help. The God of Our Understanding that saved our Lives in the prior Steps is still here with us. Our Basic Text reminds us that, Humility is as important to us as food and water.

Being human we will, of course, wander and during stressful times our defects are sure to activate. Defects in action become shortcomings; this is when we ask our Higher Power for help. We don't demand or get angry when asking, this is not what the Step means when it says Humbly.

When we ask for Help, God will meet us halfway. Some of us do this by cutting our bodies in half, by getting on our knees. Some of us might begin to apply a Spiritual Principle that's the opposite of that defect.

Some of us might ask our Sponsors or others for help. All these are signs of Humility on our part. Our defects will remain dormant, and our shortcomings minimized by Practicing some of the Spiritual Principles that are in our Toolbox on a daily basis.

We are asking God for Forgiveness, while asking for the removal of our shortcomings. Practicing Patience with ourselves, we learn Patience and Tolerance of others. As we are Forgiven, we Forgive ourselves, in turn we learn to Forgive others.