Step 3 states “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” As those of you who have attended this meeting for a while know, the 3rd Step is a very basic, important part of our program of practicing these principles in all our affairs. Recently, I was talking with a good friend who asked for my professional opinion on a topic that was very close to him. My first thought was the shortened version of the 3rd Step. So I said to myself “God help me,” and asked what the question was. I not just knew in my head that the right answer would appear but absolutely felt in my guts that the response would be proper.
As long as I remember to do this I don’t have to remember what I said in previous conversations we might have had. I just KNOW that whatever I said was true, real, and correct at the time. Just as long as I remember to surrender to win!
Does this mean that I always have the answers or actions that are factually correct? No, it means that I have spoken or acted as truthfully and correctly as I could have at the time. “But how do I turn my will and life over to my Higher Power?” I completely surrender myself to the Power of the universe that created everything that is in this universe. So how can this Creator guide me any way but correctly?
When I came into AA, I saw people who I had known in the past to be spiritually, emotionally, and morally bankrupt turn into happy, joyful persons who wanted nothing more than to share it with me so that I could be free too. All it took was surrender. “I never surrendered or gave into anyone or anything willingly in my life. So why do you think that I should, all of a sudden, do it now to an entity that I can not even see?” And, by the way, how does one surrender to win?
This is where the opposite of fear enters. The opposite of fear is not bravery or guts or courage. It is FAITH. What is Faith? It is the absolute KNOWING that the results are going to be ok. How do I know that the results are going to be ok? I look at, listen to, and emulate people who I meet in the program of AA who have BEEN THERE. How do I do this? I may have to fake it ‘till I make it for a while. But, if I do it with all of my heart, I will soon see that it works if I work it. “How do I know that it will work for me? I have tried it before and it didn’t.”
That is because, before, I did not completely surrender to this very simple program for very complicated folks. As soon as I surrender to win I am able to easily turn my will and life over to the care of my Higher Power, who I now choose to call God. Because I am prone to dissecting EVERYTHING, I must remember to use this 3rd Step, not only before tough decisions but also in ALL parts of my daily life. NOT JUST WHEN I AM ATTENDING A MEETING and looking for something to say that might impress someone else.
Now we have talked about the first 3 steps and they can be summarized by saying Step 1 – I can’t. Step 2 – He can. Step 3 – I think I’ll let Him. How much simpler could it be? Not always easy, I know, but so simple that we may wonder why we hadn’t tried it before. Now what do I do? JUST DO IT! The choice is yours. Choose wisely! God bless you!
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