Work it Wednesday - Step 6, part 2 - Old Habits, New Habits

First a quick review:

Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction and that our lives had become unmanageable.Step 2 - Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.
Step 4 - We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

 Step 5 - Admit to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Which brings us to Step 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Old habits die hard. As an addict, chances are you were one or more of the following: selfish, self-seeking, dishonest, inconsiderate and afraid. We were very needy. We need to learn new habits. in order to get along better with people. We can then live free of resentments, fears, guilt and remorse. We can begin to raise our low self-esteem. It is often very difficult to let go of the traits that are familiar to us. Behavior that we have been using for a long time to get what we wanted - drugs and/or alcohol. We went to great lengths to feed our addiction! It is time to stop struggling and ask God for help on the things that don't work for you any more. Things that keep you in your past, not moving toward your future. 

From Meditations for Street Chicks Step 6 booklet.
Available through our website, just click the link to the right.

In our new life, we begin to follow God's will and become honest, unselfish, generous, humble, courageous, considerate and kind. Your willingness to change will come from seeing how you have hurt others and yourself by your actions and behaviors. Step 6 is like taking a shower after doing yard work in the summer. It feels good to be clean after all that sweat and dirt sticking to you. You find a new peace and a release from tension as you put your defects in God's hands. It is such a good feeling! Asking God to remove your character defects is like having God use a knife to cut the sickness out!

From Meditations for Street Chicks Step 6 booklet.
Available through our website, just click the link to the right.

One key point here is to NOT aim for perfection! None of us are perfect. Perfectionism is a lie, a delusion. It's unreal. There is no such thing. We strive for improvement. Make progress. Just focus on doing it and let God fill in the blanks. You will start to see your self-esteem rise as your self-respect is restored. You will stop running and take actions that are honorable, respectful and honest. You will find that you have VALUE!

They say this step separates the men from the boys - or the girls from the women. Anyone who is willing and honest enough to keep using this step has come a long way in trying to grow in the image of God. That person can no longer be called a girl, but is a woman.

From Meditations for Street Chicks Step 6 booklet.
Available through our website, just click the link to the right.