Hello and welcome.
Step 7.
Humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings.
This meditation suggests tools to overcome challenges when working Step 7.
Let's begin.
Find a comfortable posture.
If you are sitting,
Your feet are flat on the floor.
It helps to be upright and find some balance,
Noticing if you are balanced right to left and front to back,
Just becoming very grounded in your seat.
Keep your back straight and your front soft.
You are sitting up straight but in a relaxed position,
Letting your face and your whole body soften.
Let your upper eyelids rest very gently on your lower eyelids,
Your lips gently touching or apart with your jaw relaxed.
Feel your body be at ease,
With hands gently resting on your lap or thighs.
The palms may be facing up in a receptive position or down,
Which is more grounded.
Feel your stability,
Your muscles becoming heavy.
Breathing allows your body to teach your mind how to be relaxed and opened.
Bring your attention to your breath.
Take several deep,
Slow breaths through your nose,
Pause,
Release gently through your mouth.
Resume your normal breathing pattern.
This is from Sez Christensen,
A noted meditation teacher from Denmark.
I know you want to heal.
That's why you're here,
To allow your wholeness to reside within you,
Through you,
As you.
And I know how hard it can feel to not know which way to turn when you are in the umbra of your ache.
There is a purpose in all of this,
And you need not try too hard nor travel too far in order to find.
In fact,
In the kernel of this pain lives the voices of your soul.
It has many voices,
But it knows you will sit up and listen earnestly through discomfort.
You see,
Every ache has a question embedded inside of it that guides you back to your healing.
What are you still holding on to?
It's though avoiding answering this deeper question that we hurt most.
Holding on to that pain is the central issue people in recovery have when approaching Step 7.
Step 7 essentially asks us,
Am I willing to ask for help to remove all of my character defects?
If I'm not ready,
Then why?
If I'm not ready,
Then when?
Take another deep breath,
Hold and slowly release.
Once more,
Deep breath,
Hold and release.
These are tough questions.
Until you move past this resistance,
Spiritual growth or peace of soul may be elusive.
Let's review.
Step 4 provided an opportunity to take an inventory.
The inventory reveals your character defects.
The defects,
No matter where they come from or how they originated,
If not resolved,
Will keep you hostage to ego and self-centeredness.
You can be addicted to being addicted for a long time.
In early recovery,
Becoming entirely ready to have all these defects removed may seem impossible.
For example,
Your readiness may be impacted by the emotion of fear,
Even if it is disguised as something else.
Or,
You may also be apprehensive about your journey into faith,
Perhaps for the first time.
But,
There are techniques you can use to deal with those types of resistances.
For example,
Each day during morning meditation,
You can restate Step 7 as an affirmation to keep it in awareness.
Here are two you may use.
I will say each one first,
And then you can repeat each one with me.
Help me remove my shortcomings today.
Help me remove my shortcomings today.
Help me to recognize my character defects today.
Help me to recognize my character defects today.
As you move across your day,
When you experience a defect,
Breathe deeply.
Focus on your breathing until the feeling dissipates.
In addition to the affirmations,
Praying may also help,
And it doesn't need to be elaborate.
Thomas Merton tells us to avoid formal praying.
Instead,
He suggests going directly for help,
Like this,
I am willing that this defect be removed,
And I need help.
Thank you.
Quietly stating your willingness to have the defect removed and expressing gratitude to your higher power can be healing.
This approach may suggest to you that simply praying for the removal is only half of what needs to be done.
New England Native Americans believe you can pray for help,
But you must row away from the rocks.
Or,
As it says in the big book,
Faith without works is dead.
If your mind has wandered,
Return to the present moment,
Focus on your breath,
And be with your awareness.
Again,
The second approach reminds you that willingness to remove your defects is only half of what needs to be done.
Faith does assure us that the defect will be removed,
But action must also be taken.
One technique to try is,
After the awareness of the character defect has lessened,
You can choose to respond differently.
It takes practice,
But we can choose to react to them,
However best suits our needs.
This is an act of letting go,
And is the action needed.
When techniques such as these are used when working step seven,
Unexpected benefits are often experienced.
These may include a more compassionate sense of self,
More meaningful relationships with people important in your life,
Increased positive experience when interacting with the world,
And finally,
A deeper understanding and acceptance of a higher power actively working in your life.
As we close this meditation,
Slowly move your muscles,
Gently wiggle fingers and toes,
And perhaps roll your head from side to side.
Bring your attention back to the room,
To your breathing,
Back into the present moment.
I wish you many blessings,
Along with willingness and faith,
As you proceed one day at a time.
