At our meeting today a member brought up a topic, which covered one of their problems. And that was being able to handle situations which baffle us. And that reminded me of Chapter Nine in the BB, which includes the Ninth Step…and there it is.o
I really didn’t go into it directly. But it is on page 83, at the bottom, the beginning of a paragraph, which goes over to the next page. At the bottom of that paragraph, it tells us we will learn to handle situations which used to baffle us. In fact we need to read that whole paragraph and all that it promises us.
And what makes these promises possible is what it says at the top, that the spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it. And that is what started this whole program for us. The Second Step. And we do the best we can. After all, as we have been told, that we are not saints. We are human alcoholics. Far from perfect.
However we are here to stay sober a day at a time. That’s so important. But I know that I have to continue to grow everyday along spiritual lines in here, and do the best I can. I know that I was told that I needed to grow in hope, faith, and love. But none of this makes us unhappy to say the least. Like it said, we will know a new freedom and a new happiness, and a whole lot more.
But, like I was told by my old sponsor and those old timers, our being human is going to get in our way, causing us to stumble, tumble, fumble, which will trip us up. They told us we needed to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and get back in good order again. To pray and ask for help and stay sober.
About the same time I find I often go back into the last page in the 12&12, the summation in the last two paragraphs, Traditions Eleven and Twelve, which tells us what we need to do. And that’s to step back and become humble. To put my ego and pride aside and get out of the way of others and ourselves, and stay sober.