I worked up the courage to take step 5, at least part of it… Step 5 of the LDS 12-Step program invites us to:

“Admit to yourself, to your Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, to proper priesthood authority, and to another person the exact nature of your wrongs.” 

I began writing my fearless written moral inventory about 6 or 7 weeks ago — trying to put into writing every one of my memories about which I still felt any shame or guilt. It ended up being about 10 typed pages.

Today I shared this with my bishop. Before and during the reading, I felt anxious and hopeful, and after the reading, I felt relieved, understood, and light :) Vulnerability is a powerful thing — opening yourself up to the potential for great love and acceptance or hurt and rejection. I’m grateful for Bishop Eide’s patience and empathy! And I’m grateful for the opportunity to teach the addiction recovery Sunday school class, which encouraged me to take the steps myself.

I heard HWN today feeling the atonement help me grow through my confession :)