Step Ten

[bluidkiti]

About Step 10

"It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities." [Anonymous, The Big Book, A.A. World Services, 1939]

"Although all inventories are alike in principle, the time factor does distinguish one from another. There's the spot-check inventory, taken at any time of the day, whenever we find ourselves getting tangled up. There's the one we take at day's end, when we review the happenings of the hours just past. Here we cast up a balance sheet, crediting ourselves with things well done, and chalking up debits where due. Then there are those occasions when alone, or in the company of our sponsor or spiritual advisor, we make a careful review of our progress since the last time." [Anonymous, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, A.A. World Services, 1952]

"Working the steps is a daily struggle; the Christian walk is a daily struggle. These two manners of living are the same, a common path that must be walked one day at a time. The essential nature of the daily struggle is implied in Step Ten as we continue to implement the spiritual principles developed thus far. Jesus tells us to take up our cross daily and follow him (Luke 9:23). To take time away from the true path of recovery is to invite relapse and regression into active addiction." [Martin M. Davis, The Gospel and the Twelve Steps, RPI Publications Inc., 1993]
Step 10: Related Biblical Themes

* Continued Twelve Step programs are not short-term programs. Step Ten clearly suggests that these spiritual disciplines need to be practiced over a lifetime. We need to continue. In the Christian community you will find some resistance to the long-term nature of Twelve Step recovery. Some people think, for example, that the long-term character of the program represents a failure to trust in God's power to heal in dramatic ways. "God can heal you right away!" people will say, "Why have so little faith? Let God heal you now!" There are at least four points that need to be made about this.

First, there is nothing about the long-term nature of recovery that minimizes God's power. Every day in recovery is a dramatic testimony to God's power! Twelve Step recovery is a daily miracle.

Second, one of the things we learn in recovery is that the most important question about God's power is not really "how fast can God make it happen?" but rather "how thorough will God be?" If you have just had surgery for cancer your first question to the surgeons will probably not be "how long did the operation take?" The first and most important question will be "did you get it all?" Recovery is like that. It takes as long as it takes. All of us experience it as taking longer than we would prefer. But the critical question is not about speed. It is about thoroughness. Biblical texts about patience are an important correction to those who insist that the main indicator of power is speed: "A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly" [Proverbs 14:29].

Thirdly, we all know that there are ways to bring recovery to an end quickly. We can stop. It's as simple as that. We are often tempted to do so. Or we can switch addictions. That can happen really fast. Instantaneous deliverance from alcohol is not that difficult to achieve if you just replace alcohol with sex, or food or religious practices. But these quick fixes do nothing to help us with the core problems we face. It is important to emphasize, of course, that God does sometimes do things quickly. An appropriate response to this is gratitude. Thank God for every little bit of recovery that comes quickly! But don't be misled into thinking that everything will happen fast. Although some of us know people who have been instantaneously delivered from a craving for alcohol, few, if any, of us know people who have been instantaneously delivered from the effects of years of abusing alcohol on their character and their family. If the only problem was the alcohol then you just stop drinking and the problem goes away. But the problem is not the alcohol. The problem is us. And we will take time to change and heal.

Finally, it is important to remember that resistance to the long-term nature of recovery may just be a disagreement about words rather than substance. There are very few, if any, Christians who will say "I don't believe in discipleship programs because they underestimate God's power to heal quickly." The word disciple is a long-term word. It's okay to say, "I'm going to be a disciple for the rest of my life." Twelve Step programs are exactly the same kind of thing. Some things are necessarily lifetime things. Discipleship is one of them. Recovery is another.

* To take personal inventory The purpose of a daily inventory is to build the practice of self-examination, confession and making amends into the basic structure of our lives. By now we have worked the program enough to recognize that we easily retreat into self-deception. We forget easily. It's like looking in a mirror and then forgetting what we look like:

"Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. " [James 1:23]

A daily inventory helps us remember who we are. If we are obsessing about things again, comparing ourselves to others, trying to control things we cannot control, then this Step offers us a kind of early warning system that the process is not on track and that we need to be diligent about the spiritual disciplines that have already helped us so much.

* Promptly The issue of promptness in admitting our wrongs is one of the elements of growth in this Step. One of the things we probably learned as we worked through Steps Eight and Nine is that postponed amends become much more complicated. This painful recognition is what will motivate us now to grow in our capacity to be disciplined about a daily inventory and prompt about making amends. This is Paul's encouragement in Ephesians 4:

"Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."

Jesus made essentially the same point when he said: "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way [to court]" [Matthew 5:25]
http://www.christianrecovery.com/tfr/dox/stepten.htm

[bluidkiti]

Step 10- Continue to take personal inventory, and when we are wrong, promptly admit it.

Mark 14:38 (NLT) Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak.

Luke 9:23 (NLT) Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me.

Steps 1-9 are major repairs. Steps 10-12 are maintenance steps. The first nine steps are akin to serious surgery on our lives. Step 10 is daily maintenance of our lives.

On the surface, Step Ten appears to be an easy step that can be skimmed over. But it’s not! Taking a daily inventory of our lives is crucial to our recovery from our sinful nature. Step Ten is difficult to implement, due to the fast-paced, hectic lifestyles most of us live. It is easy, in the "heat of the battle," to toss aside the foundation and the truths that Christ has laid down for us to live by.

Living our new lives in Christ is a moment-by-moment goal. In every situation we encounter, ideally we would stop and think, "How can I best react to this situation as Christ would?" For example, say that your co-worker, classmate or friend has told another person an untrue story about you. When you find out, your mind and heart should shift toward the first three steps. Think: First, I am powerless over what this person has done. Secondly, if I react in MY way, then I will display my insanity. And thirdly, I should turn the situation over to God and let Him guide my reaction.

Step Ten helps us maintain balance in our lives. It keeps us dependent on God and not ourselves. We recognize that God alone is in control, and we are simply trying our best to follow His will in every situation that we encounter. Before the major surgery of Steps 1-9, we may have turned to drugs, rage or other completely unacceptable behavior that harmed ourselves and those around us. Step 10 is a Stop Sign advising us to "Stop and think!"

We definitely learn from our mistakes. Sometimes at the end of the day, we may need to hit the rewind button and carefully analyze a situation that occurred during the day - and how we handled that situation. When someone angered us, how did we respond? Were we wrong? Were we right? Did we follow God’s will? Did we stop and realize that God is in control? Did we turn the situation over to God, or did we try to be in control of the event?

As always, this does not mean beating ourselves up daily. Think of the positive reactions you had as well. Ask yourself: What did I do right today? How have I grown today? Am I a little more like Christ at the end of today, than I was at the beginning?

Father, help us in our hectic pace to stop, think and pray for your will to be done. Help us to remember the Steps you have led us through so far, and help us to apply our "new lives" to new situations. In Christ’s name, Amen

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/wolfpa...2Steps-10.html

[bluidkiti]

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. (Rom 12: 3) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Study: 1 Pet 1:22-23; Luke 12:1-3; Eph 4:25-26; 2 Tim 2:23-24; 2 Tim 2:14-16; 1 Cor 13:4-7 7,11; Phil 2:1-4; Rom 12:3; 1 Cor 10:12-13; 1 John 1:9, 2: 1-2; Heb 9:1-3; Phil 2:12 15; 1 Pet 2 16-17; Jas 1:22.
http://www.alcoholicsforchrist.com/sa.htm

[MajestyJo]

Step Ten is a maintenance step and for me, has to be worked not just morning and night but all through the day. As I grew accustomed to working this Step, I was able recognize and become aware of when I was acting out in old patterns and behaviours, stop and look at what was going on, look at what I needed to do to change and follow it with action. Part of that action was making amends to those who I harmed as a result of my actions and amends to myself for beating myself up and promising myself not to continue practising self-abuse for being less than my expectations, that of others, assumed or real.

I have never written things out this step, although I look at posting here as a way of looking at my day and sharing my feelings. Also, when I go to a meeting, it gives me a big spiritual awareness of what is and of what isn't working in my life in today.

[MajestyJo]

Keynotes

STEP TEN: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

"Courtesy, kindness, justice, and love are the keynotes by which we may come into harmony with practically anybody. When in doubt we can always pause, saying, 'Not my will, but Thine, be done.' And we can often ask ourselves, 'Am I doing to others as I would have them do to me - today?'"

© 1952, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 93

THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

This step and the Al-Anon slogan "Let It Begin With Me" helps me to look at myself and own my side of the street. It is important in today, not to take on what is not mine. Old tapes are killers. For so many years I had a false sense of reality and responsibility, so in today, I need to look at what is mine, take it to God, and work on changing it, validating and affirming it, and most of all, practice, practice a new way of thinking into good living.

Something I posted on another site in November 2004 on another site.

Step Ten for me is something I can work all day long. Any time I hit a wall, have pause for thought, I can stop, say the Serenity Prayer, take a look at what brought me to where I am in the moment, the decisions made, the steps I took or didn't take, and what I need to do to move forward or turn around and take a new direction, or just stop, find acceptance, not put on too many expectations, and wait on my God to show me the way.