PART FIVE
FEARS
Part Five Of The Writing...The Fears
3rd Step Prayer---Be Neat and Thorough (You have made it over the top of the mountain)
Age 0-10
From the Big Book we will now look at and write about the fears.
The Big Book speaks of fears as "an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence was shot through with it." (You will come to see this if you are thorough about this part) It instructs us what to do with them. "We reviewed our fears thoroughly. We put them on paper even though we had no resentment in connection with them." More writing!
We ask ourselves questions and make clear statements about them in the following format.
1. List your fear off of the questions answered in the "turnarounds."
2. Explain the fear. When was the first time you felt it. No need for a story; be brief!
3. Self-reliance. How did I rely on myself? "I relied on myself by (fill in the blank).
4. Write this line for every one. "I should have trusted and relied on God."
5. Write the following line for every one. "I ask God to remove the fear and to direct my attention to what He would have me be."
Number 3 is clearly pointed out to us in the Big Book. "We asked ourselves why we had them. Wasn't it because self-reliance failed us? Self-reliance was good as far as it went, but it didn't go far enough. Some of us once had great self-confidence, but it didn't fully solve the fear problem, or any other."
-
Fear of being hurt physically.
-
Ten years old and some kids were bullying me.
-
I relied on myself by … I ran away and tried to avoid conflict.
-
I should have trusted and relied on God.
-
I ask God to remove the fear of “being hurt physically” and to direct my attention to what He would have me be."
Number 4 is clearly pointed out to us in the Big Book. "Perhaps there is a better way --- we think so. For we are now on a different basis, the basis of 'trusting and relying' on God. We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves. We are in the world to play the role He assigns. Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity."
Number 5 is clearly pointed out to us in the Big Book. "We ask Him to remove our fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be." And as a result "We commence to outgrow fear."
If a fear was written about once and it repeats itself over and over in our inventory you need only write it out one time. Now can you see that you are over the top of the mountain? Your writing was just cut down for you. But be thorough with this part!
Age 11-15
Repeat the same for each age group in increments of five years...