Endigar 563 ~ “The Acid Test”
From the Daily Reflections of October 2;
As we work the first nine Steps, we prepare ourselves for the adventure of a new life. But when we approach Step Ten we commence to put our A.A. way of living to practical use, day by day, in fair weather or foul. Then comes the acid test: can we stay sober, keep in emotional balance, and live to good purpose under all conditions? (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 88)
I know the Promises are being fulfilled in my life, but I want to maintain and develop them by the daily application of Step Ten. I have learned through this Step that if I am disturbed, there is something wrong with me. The other person may be wrong too, but I can only deal with my feelings. When I am hurt or upset, I have to continually look for the cause in me, and then I have to admit and correct my mistakes. It isn’t easy, but as long as I know I am progressing spiritually, I know that I can mark my effort up as a job well done. I have found that pain is a friend; it lets me know there is something wrong with my emotions, just as a physical pain lets me know there is something wrong with my body. When I take the appropriate action through the Twelve Steps, the pain gradually goes away.
END OF QUOTE
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So it would seem that the mission of Step Ten is to maintain sobriety and emotional balance which leads to living to good purpose under all conditions. The daily application of Step Ten is a way to maintain and develop the Ninth Step Promises that were catalyzed by my moral inventory, prayers for the removal of my short-comings, and subsequent amends. Personal pain and disturbance signals a real need to go ahead and use the daily inventory to find my part in that painful disturbance. This is not a courtroom procedure. Finding my part transforms me from a fearful victim to a transformed and empowered child of the Fatherheart. Step Ten is a necessary and desirable daily ritual.
Daily Reprieve 
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