We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
After finishing my written inventory in Step 4 it was time to proceed without delay to Step 5. I had to let go of any of my fears about sharing the intimate details about my past with my sponsor, whom I asked to listen to my Fifth Step. Even though I had already told him most of the things about my past before this point, there were still some secrets I wrote about that were potentially embarrassing. When I called him to schedule our meeting, he told me to first begin Step 5 by deciding how to best share inventory with myself and the God of my understanding. I hadn’t thought about doing that part of Step 5, so his instructions surprised me. Following his instructions, I reviewed what I had written in a private space, alone on a bench and talked to God as I read all the way through my Fourth Step. This helped me reflect upon what I had written and recall some details. Being conscious of my Higher Power as I reviewed my writings helped me prepare to share my Fourth Step with my sponsor. I felt like the God of my understanding was holding my hand as I proceeded with the Steps. I trusted my sponsor, Bill, and respected his commitment to service, the Program and to my recovery. Bill offered his experience and support while I was writing my Step 4 inventory and he understood the gravity of a Step 5 session. This Step 5 session with him was a new experience for me and felt like a big moment in my life and recovery. I was pretty anxious as I packed up my Fourth Step journal and drove to his house.