I was in a meeting this week with my sponsor, my grand sponsor, my sponsor brothers, and one of my sponsees. We were reading and sharing on Step 10. We read “It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us.” – 12 Steps and 12 Traditions.

The passage states a spiritual axiom. What is an axiom? It is a a self-evident truth that requires no proof. Every time we are disturbed—no matter the cause—there is something wrong within us.

In other words, when we’re upset, our disturbance points to our own spiritual condition rather than the external event. Even if we’ve truly been wronged, our reaction—resentment, self-pity, fear, or indignation—shows that something inside us is out of alignment with humility, patience, or acceptance.

A.A. teaches that so-called “justifiable anger” is especially dangerous. While others might indulge it, we alcoholics usually cannot do so safely. Holding onto righteous anger keeps us restless, irritable, and spiritually blocked. Instead, we’re encouraged to leave “justified anger” to God—or to those “better qualified to handle it.”

Grand Sponce shared a bunch of things that hit home for me tonight like, “Step 10 is REALLY about staying current with your sponsor.” I am fully aware that nowhere in the book does it say that, but I loved the nudge it gave me and how he tied Step 10 to ongoing action. But the thing that he shared tonight that hit me the hardest was:

“If faith without works is dead, then willingness without action is fantasy.’

What does this really mean and what is my call to action?

That’s a deeply insightful statement — and it connects spiritual principle to personal accountability in a powerful way. Let’s unpack it carefully and then bring it home a call to action.

What I took away from that was that “If faith without works is dead…,” faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. It’s a reminder that belief — no matter how strong — is lifeless without follow-through. Faith is meant to move us, to transform thoughts and intentions into deeds that reflect God’s love and purpose in the world.

“…then willingness without action is fantasy.” This is a modern parallel that expands the same truth. Willingness — the desire to change, grow, serve, forgive, or surrender — is vital, but by itself it’s still just potential energy. If willingness never becomes motion, it’s a comforting idea, not a lived reality. It’s the fantasy of change rather than the fact of it.

So together, the statement means having the heart to do something good, right, or faithful means little if we never act on it. True faith and true willingness always manifest in movement — even if small or imperfect. I’ve some of my biggest mistakes have been sacred if for no other reason that there was action taken. For an alcoholic like me who’s sloth is real… that’s huge!

SO – what’s the deeper spiritual message? This idea calls out a quiet but common spiritual trap: mistaking good intentions for growth. We often tell ourselves:

• “I’m willing to make amends.”
• “I want to trust God more.”
• “I’ll forgive them someday.”

But without steps — a phone call, a prayer, a decision, a risk — nothing changes. It’s the difference between admiring the 12 Steps and living them. In A.A. terms, it’s the gap between being “willing to go to any lengths” and actually going.

So what’s my call to action? I needed to ask myself three questions — and let the answers guide my next move:

• What have I been merely willing to do, but haven’t yet acted on? (A conversation, a habit change, a step of faith, an act of service?)
• What fear or comfort keeps me in fantasy instead of motion? (Be honest — naming it begins to dissolve its power.)
• What is one small, concrete action I can take today that turns willingness into works?
  • Make the call.
  • Write the letter.
  • Apologize.
  • Volunteer.
  • Pray aloud.Take the first step.

My simple prayer could be: “God, I thank You for the willingness You’ve planted in me. Now give me courage to turn that willingness into motion. May my faith be alive in what I do, and may my actions reflect the love You’ve placed within me. Amen.”

In love & service,

Rick W.