The Program of AA shows us exactly how to take advantage of the spirituality that is talked about in the Program for an improved life. OK, now how do I use my continuing growth of spiritual knowledge to my advantage? It all goes back to the first 3 steps of AA, how much faith we are getting from trying to work our program, and CBA.
I now know that I am an alcoholic and that my life had become unmanageable. Step 1 in the bag! I have come to realize that there is a Power working around me that is greater than myself. I will start out thinking that my AA group or similar people who are now in AA and feeling pretty good can be my Higher Power for a while. This is Step 2 and done the best that I can right now. If you feel that you have done these Steps, and you will know if you have or not, you are ready to tackle Step 3.
Step 3 is the first, what I call, Action Step of the program. Here we make a decision. Now, we have been making decisions all of our lives so what is the difference here? Our decisions were admittedly made when we didn’t always have the proper reasoning to make them. Since we stop growing emotionally when we start drinking alcoholically, even our adult decisions were being made while using the mind of a youngster. Think about it! Would you want a youngster making decisions for you regarding your adult life and forks in the road that appear in every life? Now, think about making mature decisions on each and every crossroads you come to in life and it would probably be best if you had the assistance of a superior mind to make them.
Enter Step 3, where we turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. Now you can tap into the creative, divine intelligence of the Higher Power that we either met or were reintroduced to in Step 2. Since we are learning that God, no matter what we call this Power, is All and Everything and this means that we share this Divine guidance and wisdom with Him. It is there for the taking. Since my God wants only the best for me He will guide me with His infinite wisdom and all I have to do to get this boost is ask for it and take it!
This brings us back to CBA – CONCEIVE, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE. When we turn our wills and lives over to the care of God, we first Conceive that He can and will help little ole me if only I ask. He was always there and willing but I wasn’t willing or even aware that He was there. Now, when I get an image of what I want, or Conceive it, I know that it will occur because I have seen it working so well in others who are in the Program. I Believe that, since it worked so well for them, it will also work well for me.
Now comes another big step for me to take – how much do I believe it? Since I am starting to not only see but actually feel this Power working in my life – going for varying lengths of time without thinking of drinking, acting differently in stressful situations, actually seeing less stressful situations – I am getting more and more Belief that this Power is actually working in my life. All that leaves is to Achieve the Conceived results. I have discovered that I Achieve in almost the same ratio as I Believe. The more that I Believe, the more that I Achieve. So, to answer the question posed in the title, my life has improved immeasurably, Thank you, God!