Meditation.
Step 6.
I am entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
The sixth step is about reflection on all that's come before and preparation for what is to come next.
In this step you ask yourself in deepest sincerity,
Am I ready to surrender control of my life and place myself fully into God's care?
This meditation provides an opportunity to focus upon that question and all it implies.
Guided meditation.
Make yourself comfortable and close your eyes.
Take a slow,
Deep breath and let go of any tension in your body as you feel yourself sinking into the surface you're resting on,
Becoming still more comfortable and relaxed.
Take another slow,
Deep breath and feel a sense of calm and peace begin to fill you as you relax further.
And take another slow,
Deep breath and let your thinking begin to wind down and smooth out as you become still comfortable and relaxed.
Imagine you've been sleeping a deep,
Sound sleep for many hours and you're just beginning to stir awake.
And the first thing you notice is that you're waking up on a soft bed of pine needles on the ground surrounded by ancient fir trees.
It's just before dawn and the air is quite cool.
The light is dim and there's a foggy mist in the air.
You can smell the scent of pine and the damp coolness of the earth.
It's quiet and any sound is blanketed by the mist.
Everything is a palette of soft greens,
Browns and greys.
Standing up you begin to walk along a path through the trees and you can feel the spongy ground beneath your feet.
Perhaps you still feel a bit foggy from your sleep,
But soon you come to a little spring,
Cup your hands to get a drink and splash some of the cool,
Clear water on your face.
Now you're beginning to wake up a bit and see the trees and plants that surround you more clearly.
Walking along further you find yourself once again on the path to the beach you visited not so long ago.
Soon the ground becomes sandy and the air more humid.
Now you can smell the sea and hear the sound of seagulls and ocean waves breaking along the shore.
Finally you emerge from the forest into the beach where earlier you made a decision to turn your will and your life over to God.
Now it's time to revisit that decision and examine it in a deeper way.
Walking across the sandy beach toward the shoreline you notice its low tide.
You may wish to remove your shoes and socks and walk along the water's edge.
Because the tide is out much more of the shore is exposed and you can see pretty shells scattered here and there.
Bits of seaweed and little sand crabs scurrying across the packed sand.
Here and there sandpipers scamper back and forth with the foam finding their meals hidden in the sand.
Just as low tide exposes what's been hidden underwater times of deep reflection help us discover what's emerging within us.
Look down and you'll notice just in front of you a piece of sea glass.
Pick it up and feel how its surface has been textured by the ocean floor its edges softened.
Who can say how long its been at the mercy of the tides shaped by the sand and salt water.
Are you ready now to be shaped by God's will to set your own will aside and allow yourself to be reformed?
Have you spent enough time trying unsuccessfully to control your destiny to the point where you're finally ready to begin living your life a new way?
As you continue to walk along the shore take some time to consider the following questions.
Am I ready to fully expose all of my personal defects to the light?
Am I ready to stop pretending I'm invincible and unconcerned about how I might appear?
Am I willing to just be a normal human being with defects,
Struggles and difficulties like everyone else?
Am I ready to turn my recovery over to God instead of trying to control what happens every step of the way?
Am I ready to face the truth about myself,
Recognize my defects of character as they appear in my daily life and keep turning them over to God again and again?
Am I ready to make this a lifelong process?
If you were able to say yes to these questions,
Your sixth step is complete for now and you're ready to move on to your next step.
If you were uncertain or had to say no,
Then you now have good useful information about where to focus your attention next so that you can become fully ready.
If you know you're ready now,
Take a few moments to humbly and sincerely thank God for helping you come this far.
And if you know you are not yet ready,
Then take a few moments to humbly and sincerely ask God to help you to let go of anything within you that needs to be released to prepare you to become ready.
As you turn around and begin to find your way back along the shore,
You might notice a school of dolphins swimming by.
Only you can know what their presence at this particular moment might symbolize to you.
But the fact is,
If you've been working your steps with purpose,
At this point your life is truly turning around and changing for the better.
And as long as you continue to say yes to God,
Your life will continue to unfold in ways you might never have thought possible by the grace of God.
It's almost time to bring this inner journey to a close.
So gather together anything you have learned that you would like to bring with you.
Take a slow,
Deep breath,
And on the exhalation begin to wiggle your fingers,
Bringing new life and energy back into your body.
Gradually bring your awareness back into your body and your physical surroundings.
Take your time,
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes and feel awake,
Alert,
And refreshed.
Pick up your experience now while it's still fresh in your mind.
Later on,
Revisit this meditation and learn more.
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