We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
One of the biggest miracles of my life is that the desire to drink and drug has been lifted from me. I had that uncontrollable urge for years and was convinced that that was just the way life was for me. I feel so much better physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and can honestly say that I am reasonably happy. I attribute these transformations in my life to the fact that I’m not drinking and drugging at all and deeply involved in the 12-Step recovery programs. Without the programs I doubt I would feel this way nor make it very long without relapsing or killing myself. After working Step 6 and becoming entirely ready to have God remove all my defects of character, the time has come in Step 7 to surrender my shortcomings. First, I trust that letting go of my defects and stop acting out on these shortcomings will be beneficial to me. My current sponsor, Art, makes the distinction that my defects are flaws in my character and shortcomings are the behaviors when I act on those flaws. Even though I’ve been clean and sober for many years now, I still struggle occasionally with unhealthy impulses. If God could remove my desire to drink and drug, why couldn’t he go further and remove these shortcomings. Step 7 asks me to trust the God of my understanding to help me improve my character. I have come to believe that God’s will for me is good and working Step 7 will help me continue to improve my life and help me grow. My doubts about this step included thinking “why would God even think about me?” I’ve come to believe that the real power of Step 7 is found by asking for God’s help. When I earnestly take the time and consciously pray for help, I seem to improve.