Honesty helps him take the Steps with sincerity of heart.

Honesty starts with my heart. My head is going to think of all kinds of reasons to dodge the truth. When I was trapped in addiction, I listened to my head for reasons and excuses to continue to act out. I followed my head, but my heart was unsettled. With grace from my Higher Power, I found SA and began following my heart. My connection with my Higher Power is mostly through my heart. 

Willingness also has to do with the heart. Perhaps my heart is not entirely there yet. I admit to my Higher Power that I don’t have it all together. My heart is unsettled. I want to do better, but it is not enough to be “kind of honest” or “honest most of the time.” I need to be rigorously honest and admit that I cannot handle lust. Any time. All the time. My heart knows this is true. This is my Step One.

Steps Two and Three follow. If I am rigorously honest, my prayer for help will be sincere. Sincerity speaks for the heart. “Help me,” I sincerely pray, and my Higher Power always responds. Every time. This is rigorous honesty. I admit the truth, and I pray sincerely. My heart is serene. I have accepted what I cannot change, which is my powerlessness over lust. With rigorous honesty, I receive the gift of sobriety. Every time in each honest moment.

Last week, I was moving through a crowded urban area with temptations all around. When I got home, I realized that I had forgotten to surrender the temptations to my Higher Power. My rigorous honesty reminded me that I had made a mistake. I had leftover images spinning through my head, and my heart was not at peace. I made a phone call and shared it at a meeting. Sharing these things will help me remember and do better next time. My heart is restored to peace when I am rigorously honest.