[Sheryl85]

Dear Suga,

Please remember that anything I say is my own belief and does not speak for AA as a whole. Having said that, the following is part of the method that I took to get to where I am today. (That means King’s X – this MY experience I’m sharing here.) And let me say that I appreciate you new folk’s sooo much! I love going over this information because it helps me in my recovery more than it might be helping you. Thank you!

Now let me tell you that when I started this process my relationship with a God of my understanding was a work in progress. Although it is still in progress today, it is a whole lot better than it was twenty years ago. (I wasn't comfortable with the "religious" God I had been working with in the past and was still in the process of uncovering and discovering what He really was for me.)

If you have a Twelve and Twelve, turn to the chapter regarding Step Three. The first word in the first paragraph was very comforting to me because it says, “Practicing”. I was ecstatic because that meant I did not have to be perfect*. (“Practicing Step Three is like the opening of a door which to all appearances is still closed and locked. All we need is a key, and the decision to swing the door open. There is only one key, and it is called willingness. Once unlocked by willingness, the door opens almost of itself, and looking through it, we shall see a pathway beside which is an inscription. It reads: “This is the way to a faith that works.” In the first two Steps we were engaged in reflection. We saw that we were powerless over alcohol, but we also perceived that faith of some kind, if only in AA itself, is possible to anyone. These conclusions did not require action: they required only acceptance.”)

(*The only step I have to work perfectly every day (24/7) is Step One. See the reference to that on page 68 of the 12 & 12 in the middle paragraph in the middle of that page.)

After you finish reading that paragraph about Step Three, note that the next one says, “Like all the remaining Steps, Step Three calls for affirmative action, for it is only action that we can cut away the self-will which has always blocked the entry of God – or, if you like, a Higher Power – ­into our lives.” (Then read the rest of the paragraph if you have it.) Looking at that particular statement I realized that it would take more than a decision on my part, it required me getting my rear in gear, or "action!" And it seemed to me that maybe this is something that I am going to be working on for a while before I ever notice any “big” effects. (If you read “Spiritual Experience” in the Appendix of the Big Book, it also gives that impression.) So, one thing I did to put Step Three into “action” in my life was practicing the third part of Step Twelve (“and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”) and continued on my quest to become more familiar with my Higher Power (thru studying the Steps, prayer and meditation).

But that’s not all for this Step. Turning my will and life, for me, means turning over my thoughts and my actions to my HP. Chuck C. made a good point when he talks about his journey in the book, “A New Pair Of Glasses,” where he talks about right living leads to right thinking, and not the other way around. He was talking about the fact that some of us can attempt to live the “right way” and that our mind will eventually follow (or that sanity returns) and we experience “right thinking”. When we read about the much talked about promises on page 83 and 84, we sometimes forget that the literature is chocked full of rewards besides just those mentioned there. For every action that I take, I realize that God rewards honest effort (not wishful thinking). In the Big Book on the bottom of page 84 when talking about Step 10 it says, “For by this time sanity will have returned.” This means that if we do what we are suppose to do between Steps 2 and 10 we should have sane thinking restored. Please note, it didn’t say anything about it (sanity) staying. That’s where the “practicing these principles” part comes into play again.

Now, back to Step 3. When I make the effort at practicing this Step, I start to get some type of reward out of it, even if it is only something small like the warm feeling you get when you help someone (when you know you could have just as easily walked on past) not expecting any compensation. You didn’t get any material satisfaction out of what you did, but the mental satisfaction is a reward unto itself.

I hope that I made sense. I just wanted to share some of the things that I did in the beginning to get the process started. This is not everything by any stretch of the imagination. Hope is of help to you as well.

By the way, if you do not have any of those books I spoke of available to you, let me know and I’ll see what I can do for you. Now I'm going to push the submit button and pray this goes through right and I don't have to edit it like I always seem to have to do.