Humility
Humility, I find, is a topic I like to muse on. Even though I’m not 100% sure what it is (that’s because I’m an alcoholic, it doesn’t come naturally), I know it’s an attitude I would like to learn to embrace.
In the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions it says, “The whole emphasis of Step Seven is on humility.” (Page 76) Reading Step Seven again, I found that it takes its time defining the wordI was looking for an entry like that found in Websterr’s, but I read the entire Step before the idea sunk in.
From what I glean, humility, simply is that itattention, respectis not about me. “The Seventh Step is where we make the change in our attitude which permits us, with humility as our guide, to move out from ourselves toward others and toward God(italics mine).” (Page 76)
Movement in my attitude towards God. Page 75 has a really good quote that sums my attitude before, then the movin’ on me (pun intended): “During this process of learning more about humility, the most profound result of all was the change in our attitude toward God We began to get over the idea that the Higher Power was a sort of bush-league pinch hitter, to be called upon only in an emergency. The notion that we would still live our own lives, God helping a little now and then, began to evaporate Refusing to place God firrst, we had deprived ourselves of His help. But now the words ‘Of myself I am nothing, the Father doeth the works’ began to carry a bright promise and meaning.” (Page 75) I am no longer the wee girl with a quarter in her hand, standing before the Vending Machine that is God, demanding with a prayer what is behind G-6.
Movement in how I consider others. This part I won’t get into now, maybe later this week.
I’ll add one more comment, from Page 75: “A great turning point in our lives came when we sought for humility as something we really wanted, rather than as something we must have.”
Please comment on humility, or whatever you need to talk about.