KLEAN is covering a 12 part series that discusses each and every one of the 12 Steps of Recovery. We believe that taking each step at a time will shed light on the truth and the purpose of each one. With proven success, the 12 Steps are a momentous set of guidelines that are available for those in recovery. Follow us, won’t you and take the time to fully understand the scope of this series.
Step Five- We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Step Five of the 12 steps says, “Hey, you know you have fallen short and have been wrong. Now you really need to tell someone else the exact nature of your wrongs.” No more hiding and keeping secrets, this is the real deal, you have to speak the wrongs out loud. This can be nothing short of terrifying.
The first part of this step is to do this before we can advance. You should already know that God knows everything so you are not telling him anything new. The true purpose is to have a personal conversation with our Higher Power and things will begin to fall into place for us. A path for change will be paved. Once we are able to be honest with God then we can tackle being honest with our own selves.
This is manning up, stepping up to the plate, or growing up, whatever you want to call it. This is spiritual growth at its finest. Once this happens, the baggage that has been with you from the past will start to fall off and life will become much easier to live. You will finally have a clear conscious and be able to look people straight in the eye. You will feel a peace and cleansing like never before. This is why Step Five is so important.
In the previous steps we have created our personal inventory, changing our attitudes, starting a new relationship with God, finding out what obstacles are in our path, admitted that we have wronged, and found the defects. Now it is time for action. It is time to admit the exact nature of our wrongs to God. We are removing anything that blocks us off from God and others.
This truly is a vital step. Why? Those who conceal things and keep secrets are much more likely to relapse. The reason is that they never COMPLETED their housecleaning. Usually when something is concealed and tucked away it is the worst of what you have done. It is imperative to share these things with another person. Addicts are master manipulators and are famous for believing their own justifications and half-truths. Someone else can see us for who we truly are. Step Five is mandatory because it renders results and it relieves fear and tension.
The “Big Book” says that we share our inventory with someone who will understand, yet be unaffected. This is someone that is able to keep your confidence while understanding and approving. Who better than God?
