Jesus Christ and the 12 Steps.
TENDTH STEP
“WE take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admit it.”
" involves self-reflection and encourages individuals to take a daily inventory of their behaviour, admit any promptly wrongdoing, and continue personal and spiritual growth. It aims to maintain emotional sobriety and prevent the accumulation of resentments and unresolved issues." ( AA. org)
David presents this type of meditation to us in several parts of the Word: Psalm 77:11-12; 143:5; 119:27. Here, he enphizis the importancy of reminding ourselves of the works that God has done in our lives and to meditate, he says, on His Word and His great deeds. Why?
Sometime ago I was motivated to write my autobiography, and for that, I decided to write about my life with God, since He has been a part of my entire existence. Writing down each of the things God did in my life was impactful; it was as if I were living them again, as if those experiences had happened that day and not in the past. I wondered why I was not happier after so many things from God. So, this is how God showed me the effect of life's daily tasks on my daily walk: making food, going to work, the normal worries about family, friends, etc. Each of my actions or thoughts was like a piece of gauze placed over my experience with God, causing it to lose its visibility over time.
What happens in our memory?
Imagine having a wonderful experience with God, like something very bright in your memory that inspires you to follow God and work with Him. The next day, your daily work continues, and with each act, a thin, light gray gauze is placed in front of that bright thing. Each action and thought is a gauze that is laid over the previous one, and so on, until the bright color and shape of what is behind the gauzes—the work God did in your life—can no longer be seen and therefore ceases to have an impact on your life. This is what our experience with God is like. In the moment, we are captivated by His beauty, compassion, and greatness. Perhaps He healed us or freed us from a burden that seemed impossible. Perhaps He called you at a special moment and captivated your heart, and full of energy, you began to walk in the direction of His calling. Or perhaps you decided to follow Him because of what you saw Him do in your life. Then, the daily tasks of each day began to unfold a gauze, albeit a very thin one, over this, until there are so many (some days are very difficult) that the gray becomes so dark that it completely covers the wonder and effect of God's act in your life. The impact of that divine work on your life seems to lose its meaning and appears to disappear.
What I have written above is how our memory works, which stores immediate things and gradually discards the past to make way for today. One day, what God did in your life, or what you decided to do with your life, is or will be forgotten unless you take action to prevent it.
When God gave me that clarity, I decided to turn the autobiography into a journal. There, I write what God does or tells me, the date, the word or action, and the blessing I received from that Word. I also write down the decisions I make and why I make them.
As a teacher, I have worked from high school to preschool, and we call this action meditation, a methodology that is part of a daily analysis we do to observe the changes that occur in our school/students and to react quickly if necessary. You may miss or forget important things, without even know it unless you write it down and read them later at the end of the day.
It is no different from what the tenth step is asking us to do. Meditating and writing is an analysis that will prevent us from falling into fault. The faults we fall into daily are observed and corrected daily. The Word tells us: "I will meditate on your Word day and night," and in another place, it says: "Search my heart and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
David the psalmist is giving us the guidelines for a lifestyle that keeps us awake and healthy. When I see something negative repeating itself and I find it difficult to change, such as resentments, envy, or unforgiven memories that reappear without warning despite having prayed, what I do is ask God, "Renew my mind," or I tell Him to "purify the intentions of my heart." He is the only one who can change hearts, and when we pray like this, we do so based on the Word, as the apostle Paul tells us, "Be renewed in the spirit of your mind."
After being born again and receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit, believers can begin their journey in spiritual warfare. We recognize that we cannot overcome by ourselves; we need God's intervention, as only He gives us the strength to overcome any obstacle. The Bible tells us: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit." Thus, God Himself fights for us. Facing challenges requires us to rely on this foundation, setting aside our natural reaction and allowing God to take our place.