3. We do not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. (Continued)
Many of us have lived with guilt, shame and regret for our past. Until we get down to business–that is, taken a moral inventory (Step Four) did we desire that the God of our understanding help us see what we needed to do to forgive ourselves and get on with our life.
As the Promises state in so simple a manner, this does not mean that “oh well, we made some mistakes so let’s forget about everything that happened in the past –after all it’s in the past.” And we can spend a lot of wasted time wallowing in the self-pity that occupies any addiction. We also might regret all the time that we wasted staring at the blank wall, alone and trying to figure out in the circling of our thoughts the whys of our immobility, passivity and pain.
It is in Steps Four and Five where our past regrets are played out and dealt with. Once we have made a list of all of our resentments and fears and spoke of them to a trusted friend (sponsor) we can begin to find a new freedom.”
Copyright(c) The Promises of Depressed Anonymous. (2002) Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville, KY. Page 7