Steps 8 and 9: Set Right The Wrong

So many of us have taken on the attitude of a victim. We stay a slave to the people who anger us, and even worse we treat them in shocking ways justifying it the entire time. What we learned in the 4th step is that we were hating ourselves through other people. Meaning when we harbor resentment we are blaming someone for some aspect of why our life didn’t turn out how we wanted it to. Well at the end of the day we all know that we are responsible for our life and so the question is: Who am I really hating when I pour energy into harboring resentment? Myself of course I am “taking poison and hoping the other guy dies”.

What we are going to do in steps 8 and 9 is reverse the process. We are going to go out and set right the wrongs we have committed against others while at the same time letting them off the hook for their mistakes. In doing this we will stop pouring energy into hating the person who screwed up our life (us). We will begin to feel nearness towards our fellows and God. We will see relationships mended and hearts healed.

The 9th step is about action. Unfortunately there is no right or wrong answer for these tough decisions when it comes to amends. What we must do is pray to God for discernment and then the courage to take action and face the people we have wounded. Get after it….