Back to the Basics of Recovery
Steps VI and VII
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Some A.A. pioneers refer to Steps Six and Seven as the “second surrender.” In Step Three we ask God to “take away (our) difficulties,” even though we may only have a general idea as to what they are. In Steps Six and Seven we surrender the specific items that are preventing us from tapping into the “Power greater than (ourselves) that will solve our problem.” In the first paragraph on page 76, the “Big Book” authors provide details about this second surrender:
We then look at Step Six. We have emphasized willingness as being indispensable. Are we now ready to let God remove from us all the things which we have admitted are objectionable? Can He now take them all—every one? If we still cling to something we will not let go, we ask God to help us be willing.
Throughout the “Big Book,” the authors make clear we must be willing to take certain actions if we are to overcome our alcoholism. On page 568, the authors state that, “Willingness, honesty, and open mindedness are the essentials of recovery,” and on page 124 the authors explain the importance of willingness when they write, “We grow by our willingness to face and rectify errors (liabilities) and convert them into assets.
Willingness implies acceptance without reluctance. We must have no reservations about giving up that which is objectionable.
What is it we have admitted is objectionable? It is the liabilities we just talked about in Steps Four and Five; specifically, the resentments (page 64), the fears (page 68), and the harms we have done to others because of our selfishness, dishonesty, inconsideration, jealousy, suspicion and bitterness (page 69).
As we learned in the previous article, “Healing is in the sharing, not in the writing.” During the Fourth Step, the sponsor wrote down some generic names and put some marks on a checklist. The object is to compile an amends list, not chronicle every dastardly deed or questionable behavior the newcomer has ever engaged in.
In Step Six we ask the God of our understanding to remove the liabilities we found were blocking us. If we are unwilling to let go of some of these shortcomings, the sponsor and newcomer together pray for the willingness to have these shortcomings removed.
The Sixth Step question is a rewording of the third sentence in the first paragraph on page 76. It reads:
“Are you now ready to let God remove from you all the things which you have admitted are objectionable?”
If you can answer in the affirmative, then you have taken Step Six and are ready to move on to Step Seven.
In the Seventh Step we turn our assets as well as our liabilities over to the “Power greater than ourselves.” Then we ask the Power to give back only what we need “ to be of maximum service to God and the people about us.” According to the “Big Book” authors, being of service is our “real purpose” for living.
We ask the God of our understanding to remove those blocks that are standing in the way of our recovery. We ask that these blocks be removed, not for our own benefit, but so we can help others. We get out of self by working with those who are still suffering or have lost their way, and when we remove those things that have separated us from the Power, we become much more effective and efficient in our ability to carry a beneficial message.
This is a selfless program and the Seventh Step prayer exemplifies this concept of selflessness. The prayer is found in the second paragraph on page 76:
My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.
Even though we have identified the blocks and asked “the One who has all power” to remove them, the blocks are not removed until we make restitution to those we’ve harmed and forgive those who have harmed us. We do this is Steps Eight and Nine which we will cover in the next article.
Wally P is an A.A. archivist, historian and author. He was the Arizona Area archivist from 1992-1993, a member of the National Archives Study Committee from 1994-1995, and since 1999 he has been the caretaker of the personal archives of Dr. Bob and Anne Smith. He is the originator of Back to Basics, a re-enactment of a series of 1946 A.A. Beginners’ Meetings during which newcomers TAKE all Twelve Steps in four one-hour sessions. More than 300,000 people have taken the Steps using this time-tested and very effective “program of recovery.”