The Twelve Steps:
A Guide for Living Faithfully
This is the fourth in a series of comments by members of the
Faith Partners ministry at House of Hope on the Twelve
Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, how they serve as the basis
for recovery from many addictions, and the application of
these steps to people of faith.
The fourth step of Alcoholics Anonymous is “Made a searching and fearless moral
inventory of ourselves.”
“Ask and it will be given to you; search and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened for you.” (Luke 11:9)
What a difficult time many of us could have with this step. When I mentioned to my
husband that I was writing on this step, he remarked, “It’s too bad you are not taking
other people’s inventories. You can do that really well.” We laughed about it at the
time, yet it is so true—other people’s lives are easy to judge.
Many recovering people working on this step come from damaged family systems.
Addictions were not discussed. We were taught from an early age to accept what we
saw in our home as “normal.” We minimized the hurts we experienced. Our family
life, if discussed at all with others, glossed over the emotional or physical injuries addictions
can inflict. How do we then judge what is right and what is wrong with our lives?
For many, our church can be the answer. Our church can be a spiritual home, a sanctuary.
“The lord is close to the brokenhearted.
He rescues those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalms 34:18)
We have many fine examples at House of Hope of people living exemplary lives.
They show us how happy a life of sharing our gifts can be. They show us a world bigger
than our next “fix,” whatever that might be.
We recover slowly from feelings of shame and self-pity. Our church assures us that
though we will never be worthy of God’s love, we have it unconditionally through
grace. With that assurance our moral inventory can help put the past to rest.
“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought
even when far away. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me
where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.” (Psalm 39: 1-3)
—Jan Favorite
Faith Partners Ministry at House of Hope
| 
