July 7th – Character Defects

July 7th - a four leaf clover

“The bottom line was a lack of humility. We could not see that good character and spiritual values had to come first. We had it backwards. We have found that material satisfaction and self-centered gratification of our desires are not the purpose of living.”

Life with Hope, third edition, page 30

Before I began the Step work, I would have said I’m the least selfish person ever. I was generous and giving and I loved hard. After doing Steps One through Six with honesty and discussion, I realized that I needed to ask my Higher Power to help me remove my selfishness in Step Seven. My desire to feel loved mixed with my codependency and enabling issues masked by staying high was a dangerously selfish combination.

Final thought: Today, even with all the pain and guilt, I think I am one of the “lucky” ones. If it wasn’t for my addiction, I would not have worked these Steps and may have gone through life without spiritual growth.

Living Every Day with Hope – Copyright © 2025 Marijuana Anonymous World Services. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Marijuana Anonymous groups have been granted limited permission to quote Living Every Day with Hope.

Hope Delivered To Your Inbox

By subscribing to Daily Dose of MA Recovery you receive via email the meditation of the day from Living Every Day with Hope and additional announcements from MA World Services.

Image of a sprouting tree with a blurred green background

A New Leaf – Online

Where Marijuana Anonymous members spark creativity by sharing experience, strength, and hope.