King David said.

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way. – Psalm 139:23-24 (CSB)

Bill Wilson was a member of a Christian fellowship known as the Oxford group. They developed the 12 steps for recovery. Step Four instructs you to, “Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself.”

I recently joined a 12-step group in my church. I’ve never been through a 12-step group, and I wanted to experience one. The group leader last week made this statement. Step Four is where a lot of people quit group. They find it too painful to look back on their own stories. My mind immediately flashed back to a time when I was asking a gentleman to tell me his story of growing up. He immediately burst into tears and said, “please don’t make me tell that story.”

In Closing

Some of us have very difficult memories from the growing up years. Healing and transformation often happens when we invite the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit into the deeper part of ourselves.

Prayer

Father, help me pray the same prayer that king David prayed. Search me O God. I will follow your lead as you show me struggling parts of myself. Bless me in my broken places. And thank you for Bill Wilson, who said look inside your own house and see if everything is in order. Bless me in my inner being. Amen.

Bible Connection

Read Psalm 139