Step 3 says: We turned our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. OK, I remember when I first approached this step thinking “OK, God or Whatever is listening, take it and now what?” Being new to the AA Program and new to trying to work with these Spiritual concepts that were so very alien to me and my thinking, I didn’t even know how to do any of this. I really wondered what was now different because I had really thought about the verbiage of the 3rd Step and nothing seemed to be any different at all. Except my curiosity as to why nothing shook or roared around me was really up now.
I was reminded of the man sitting on the curb in front of a Coney Island in Detroit asking for money so that he could eat. He had some coins and wadded bills in a can in front of him but still was asking for money to eat with. You see, he had asked for something too and received it and was still sitting there asking for more. He was not even using what he had. If he were truly hungry, why didn’t he just take the money he had collected, walk inside, and order a Coney? His thoughts had only taken him so far and all he had to do was take action on his thoughts. Just walk inside and be served. Probably the most powerful portion of our beings is our thoughts. The thing is that thoughts, as powerful as they are, must be followed by some action or they do not leave the confines of our minds.
How does this relate to our topic of Our thoughts and the 3rd Step? I Conceive the thought or idea of turning my will and my life over to the care of God. Then I Believe that I can do this and that He will take it and guide me because it has for so many around me. Then I Achieve turning it over. Webster defines Achieve as a transitive verb: “to carry out successfully; to get or attain as the result of exertion.” As far back as grade school, I was taught that a verb was an action word. It meant to do something other than merely opining on it. This means, to me, that I must then use my knowledge from the first 2 Steps and accept that there is a Higher Power and give It everything.
Everything does not mean “all except for this one little thing.” It means all as in everything. “God, take it all. I can’t handle it alone. I need your help. I need it right now!” Which reminds me of the person who asked “How do you spell right” and the answer was “Rat.” “No, man, not that mousey kind of rat, rat like rat now!” This all means that I shouldn’t turn my will and my life over in that mousey kind of way but completely and totally with no strings or holdouts. Then KEEP IT THERE 24/7/365. If I do that, I am working my program 24/7/365 to the best of my ability.
Today I am Happy, Joyous, and Free, just like the Big Book talks of. What does that mean? It means that, if I can do it, so can you IF YOU ARE WILLING TO GO TO ANY LENGTHS TO GET IT! Have you had enough misery yet? Had enough agony yet? Enough physical, mental, and emotional pain yet? Then use CBA – Conceive the idea that it can and will for you. Then Believe that if it did for others it will for you also. And then you will Achieve Happiness, Joy, and Freedom. Does this mean that you will be laughing all day and night? No. It does mean that at all. It does mean that when life keeps coming at you, as it will, you will deal with it in a way that is the utter best for you and all around you. And for this you will be at your happiest, most joyful, and free. That is a promise!