January 31, Step Eight: Becoming Ready To Make Amends

Thought for today:

We make a list of people we have harmed in step eight, and become willing to make amends to them all. Whether we actually make amends or not is irrelevant at this point. Our willingness is what matters in this step.

We start by reviewing our fourth step, where we discovered our wrongs, and named people we had harmed. Summoning God’s help, we become willing to do whatever is needed to overcome the damage done, including humbly making amends. After all, we were desperate when we came in to DA, weren’t we?

We review step eight with our DA sponsor, who is objective, and had more experience. We want to be careful as we assess what amends are appropriate.

Have I considered the people and businesses I’ve harmed in the throes of my disease? Have I dealt with the wreckage of my past? If not, am I willing to look at it today?

Meditation for Today:

Amends depend on the situation. They can include financial restitution, an apology, or a combination of these things. The point is that we do not recoil from our responsibility.

Affirmation for Today:

“I will fearlessly find anything that stand in the way of my usefulness to God and my fellow human beings. I will not be deterred by fear of what is required of me. All that is required in step eight is the list.”

Prayer for Today:

“Lord, I have not always done what I should. You can communicate where I lack the words. As I trust in your peace, I am reconciled to the world, and my life becomes a channel of that peace.”

Further Reading:

The book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions is the definitive guide to all the Steps and Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.  It brings an in-depth understanding of why and how the program of recovery evolved, and how it works to this day, over sixty years after it was first published.

DA adapted the short form of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions almost word for word (with AA’s permission) and to this day DA recommends we read AA literature, (including the “Twelve and Twelve“) as a way for us to understand the disease concept.

(By clicking the book links found on this site you will be brought to the Amazon.com website.  If you choose to make a purchase there, Amazon will give us a commission.  Using these book links in no way increases your cost of purchase.  It helps us defray the costs of running this website.)

One response

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.