April 12

”Wanting our lives to change is not the same as being actually ready for change. The negative patterns uncovered in our inventory represent a lifetime of ingrained beliefs, attitudes, and habits of behavior.”

Sex Addicts Anonymous, page 40

It took me a while to understand the significance of the Sixth Step. Being ready to have my defects removed requires the admittance that I have flaws. While I created an inventory in my Fourth Step and admitted the nature of my wrongs in my Fifth, it was not until this step that I realized I had to truly accept that there were parts of me that were not as healthy as I’d like to believe.

This is also a gentle step in that it only requires my willingness to have my Higher Power remove these flaws. It is very similar in nature to the Second Step, an acknowledging that God has the power to help me in this task and then readying myself to try it out. It is a preparatory step for the work that is to follow.

This step for me was another level of surrender, relinquishing the idea that I have the control or ability to change certain things in my life. It was a time for me to let go of even more of the reins of my life and open myself to following the will of the God of my understanding.

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I am flawed, but that is part of being human. I can accept this and ready myself to let my Higher Power remove all these defects of character so I can become a healthier person.