“God get me out of this and I will never do it again!” “God, I prayed to you every Sunday, Christmas, and Easter so why do bad things keep happening to me?” “I joined a church and became an usher and everything and problems still haunt me!” I prayed and begged for forgiveness.
Just what makes me think that an hour or so a week thinking good thoughts and trying to pray will carry me through the week? God, before I was introduced to AA and The Study of Spirituality, was in humanized form sitting “up there in the sky” on a golden throne making judgements about whether I went to heaven or hell. Live or die. Be happy or sad. Spirituality teaches us that our Higher Power, or God, is inside us, not “out there somewhere.” This is why we can call our Higher Power anything that we choose. Just call Him by praying. He is our own personal Higher Power.
Some new to AA think of their AA group as their Higher Power. And it is. When leaving an AA meeting, we mostly leave feeling better than when we entered. This is because of what has been said and/or done there. We are starting to learn that prayer to our Higher Power works wonders.
Now comes the hard part. How do I keep these good feelings about myself and others flowing on a regular basis? Not just during church or AA meetings? Spirituality and AA tell us to go back to the 3rd Step whenever we are feeling either too high or too low. Or even if we don’t know just how we are feeling. Use the shortened version. Simply say “God, help me.” Then step back and let Him! This is simple prayer.
Every morning, before beginning our busy day, we use the 11th Step Prayer. Asking only for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry it out. His will for me is to be Happy, Joyous, and Free! Not full of problems. I become Happy, Joyous, and Free simply by asking for help regularly throughout every day. Not just Sunday morning and/or at AA meetings. How do I do it? I use the shortened version of the 3rd Step to solve this question. Simply say “God Help Me!” And let Him! Peace be with you!
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