My
Thoughts on Step Three
"Made
a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we
understood Him"
The story I was told about three frogs
sitting on a log one made a decision to Jump How many were left I remember to
this day I said two and my sponsor looked at me and said your dead wrong the
one frog only made a decision to jump he did not actually jump. All three are
still on the log
Step three deciding to do something
doesn't mean I have actually done it I know I can make a thousand decisions and
still be sitting on the log it is the course of action I had to take as a
result of making the decision that what got me off the log
Step three is to understand that NOTHING
HAPPENS except the decision the we "make a decision" between living
in the problem step one and finding a power that will solve our problem step
two The only thing left is putting that decision into action working the steps
four thru nine the action steps
Subconsciously I thought I had turned my
life and will over to God in this step three and I did not really have to do
steps four thru nine RIGHT!! That is
what happens when I think if it were true that I could actually turn my will
over in step three there would be no need to do any more steps
But if I do the steps of making an
inventory talking to someone about it becoming ready and asking God to remove
my character defects and shortcomings make a list of harms done and then making
the amends then I know I have put into effect the decision I made in step three
I have taken the necessary actions to turn
my will and my life over to the care of God, as I now understand him the God of
unconditional love and forgiveness who has relieved me of the bondage of myself
and has now removed the desire to drink for me guiding me in my new life
Today my experience tells me when I cannot
understand something it is simple because I have some fears and misgivings to
that understanding usually a fear so great that it prevents my mind from
understanding I know today it was false fear of changing something or using
free will again
What is so reassuring about the third step
making this program of recovery so awesome is that I am free to choose who this
God of my understanding is and He does not have to meet anyone else’s
requirements or expectations of what God is except my own of love and
forgiveness
God who has never left me always sustained
me and comforted me and makes my life able to be lived with out the guilt shame
and remorse of a past of selfishly using my free will instead of turning my
will over to Him he is my Higher Power and may not be the same as yours and
that’s OK
During my time in this program I have met
many people who have all different kinds of Higher Powers some were agnostics
and atheists some found their personal Higher Power to be Nature and their
"church" or Just being around a tree-studded yard with beautiful
flowers
Once we have come into agreement with
these ideas, it is really easy to begin the practice of Step Three. In all
times of emotional disturbance or indecision, we can pause, ask for quiet, and
in the stillness simply say:
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot
change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Thy will, not mine, be done."
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