When we have been in the program for a short time, we have noticed that our good life, although not looking great right now, is grudgingly seeming to be getting better. When we have been in the program for some days, months, years, decades, life has been getting better quite regularly since we started on this new venture. Then, it seems to have hit a detour, dead end, brick wall, whatever I choose to call it, and we may sometimes wonder what happened.
The AA program and its wonderful guidelines to a thriving life, the 12 Steps, may seemingly not be working right now. This, my friends, is the time to stop whatever we are doing and run, not walk, back to the 3rd Step. Since Spirituality had been introduced to me in AA, I had been shown a way of life that was completely unknown to me prior to my entrance into the program. I have seen it work for days, weeks, months, years, decades and, deep inside, know just what to do. If in the middle of a “white knuckle” experience, use the shortened version of the 3rd Step. This is simply saying “God help me.” Then, step back and let Him!
When I totally and truthfully turn my will and my life over to the care of the Higher Power of my understanding, I don’t have to fret, stew, or worry any more about outcomes. All I should do is take care of the now and, using this new found faith, know that the outcome will be the right thing. An abundance of love will follow!
This goes back to the CBA principle – CREATE the idea that my Higher Power will help with whatever is amiss. BELIEVE completely that this is truly the case and that all will be well. Now, all that is left is to ACHIEVE the well being that was so elusive. If the first two were done to the best of my ability, I truly will ACHIEVE peace of mind. The good life. This is a very simple program for very complicated folks. Don’t ever be afraid again. Why? Because, the opposite of FEAR is FAITH. Hear this, know this, and you will feel this throughout your body. “Thy will be done.” God bless you all!
Please let us know what you think. We can be reached at Spiritualityandrecovery@gmail.com or 810-965-6140 usually within hours and many times instantly.
More can be found on our other pages. We have an AA Zoom meeting, blogs, and a podcast. Also our Facebook page. They are updated regularly. We hope that you will join us on these sites. And please comment so that we can share with each other our experiences, strengths, and hopes. The Zoom meeting is every Monday through Friday, 3:00 PM EST. Meeting ID is 6035280704. Password 399778. It is simple to locate the blogs and Facebook pages. Just search @Spiritualityandrecovery. For the podcast, search Spotify.com for Spiritualityandrecovery. On iPhone say “Hey Siri, Play the podcast Spiritualityandrecovery.” Or, on Android “Hey, Google. Play the Jim Boylan podcast.”
