When I started my recovery journey, I was under the impression that when I got to steps 6 and 7, I would be cured of my character defects. Hahaha. That is not the case. I still have them, negative thinking, criticism of others, ego, pride, lust, dishonesty, resentment, fear, worry, gossip, the list goes on. What I do get with proper maintenance of spiritual fitness is the awareness through God (sometimes it's a realization, other times God appoints other people to point them out to me) and a choice to correct the situation. What does spiritual fitness even mean anyways? To me, the first half of it is keeping in close daily contact with God. Rembering that prayer and meditation are my principal means of conscious contact with Him. The other half is constantly taking a personal inventory. Keeping an eye out for fear, resentment, dishonesty, selfishness, and when they pop up, asking God to remove them, discusing them with another person as soon as possible, and promptly making amends when needed.
The promise I get out of doing this practice is one of my favorite in the program. I am safe and protected, placed in a position of neutrality. I don't have to fight. The problem is removed.
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