Step 4: We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves

“Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living and reorder our lives under God” Lamentations 3:40 – The Message

Topic for thought

Today is the second part of Step 4. Last week we began examining some of the entrenched, long-standing resentments and grudges we are holding and how that has affected our relationship with others. This week we are exploring four other aspects of our character that affect us. Hopefully, we have started making a list of all the resentments and grudges we are holding; the ultimate purpose of this is to confess these faults to ourselves, to God, and to another person we trust, such as our Sponsor/Mentor. As we begin to step out of denial and into God’s truth and light we will find the life we have been searching for.

The Issue

The purpose of Step 4 is to bring into the light all our entrenched, long-standing resentments and grudges, recognising how much they damage us and how we need to be rid of them if we are to be free and get well. Harbouring resentments is like storing toxic waste within ourselves and if we do not get rid of this poison these destructive feelings are very likely to lead us into relapse and we’ll be back to where we started.