As difficult as it sometimes seems, it is simple to live our lives peacefully! ALL that you must do is try to work your program 24/7/365 and ONLY to the best of your ability. Notice, I did not say to work it perfectly! ONLY the best that you can with what you know right now. This, in itself, takes a large load off of one’s mind. As we live in our human condition, the simpler things are, the easier they are to grasp.
The first 3 Steps are the foundation for the rest of the 12 Steps. Paraphrased, they are: 1 I can’t. 2 He can. 3 I think I’ll let him. Let’s simplify it even more! These steps are not only for newcomers to AA. They are also for so called “old timers” who may have started to ease up in working their program to the best of their ability. How does an old timer know if he is maybe easing up in his program? Others will probably notice it before the old timer. He is becoming more irritable and discontent than usual. A little edgier, perhaps. Critical of others, especially with how they are working their own programs.
As important as not drinking is for an alcoholic, notice that only the first half of the 1st Step even mentions alcohol. ALL the rest are about our thinking!
Whether you are a newcomer to the program or an oldtimer, there is one simple way to discover why things “just don’t feel right.” The answer is to discover where you are not working your program right. How is this done? Suggestion: Starting with the 1st Step, work your way through the 12 Steps in order to see where you may be amiss. I discovered that my search didn’t make it past the 3rd Step, when I was being honest with myself. I had turned my will and my life over to the care of God, all right, but then I may have taken back a small part of it. Why? Just ’cause! Don’t need to look any deeper. Don’t need to know why or how! Just know that I took it back, no matter how small.
We can start our day or our life all over again any time that we choose. So, work the 3rd Step AGAIN, turning your will and life over to the care of God and move on with your life.
How do we work our program 24/7/365? Does this mean that we must carry a bible around all the time? No. To work the program 24/7/365 is simply to continue to do the next right thing. And how do we know if the next thing is right or not? The answer is amazing but true! If we are working our program to the best of our ability, the next thing WILL BE RIGHT! The next answer will be right. We will intuitively know what to do because we have turned our wills and our lives over to the care of God. This means that we are never alone. We are under the care and guidance of our Higher Power.
This is a WE program, not an I program. We includes God and others who God is working through. So, remember: I get drunk. We stay sober. God bless you!
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