Situational

[DonaldS]

Observing myself in relation to Step Three, I see that the degree of my "turning it over" is quite situational. When the storm begins, I panic and grab back the control. When it gets real bad (or real good), I am inclined to drink. Only when things are relatively smooth do I put on my "life is good" face. Consequently, I never quite reach the prerequisite to Step Three:

When we sincerely took such a position, all sorts of remarkable things followed. We had a new Employer. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work well. Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our own little plans and designs. More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn.

When I first came into the program, I met a guy named Indian Charlie. He was a bit squirrely, but had stayed sober for about 12 years at that time. One thing he did was to "report for duty" upon awakening. I'm going to try that. My forgetter works real well when things are "fine." I need God every day, though--and especially on those days that just aren't going my way.

[Mark75]

I really responded well to a line of thought or reasoning that went along these lines...

If I have turned my will and my life over to the care of God, then it's really none of my business anymore what happens, not that I'm disinterested, obviously, but that it's not up to me anymore.

Kind of a detachment in a new kind of way... hmm... If something is unfolding in God's way, not mine, I try (I said try, now, progress, not perfection ), I try to not get emotionally enmeshed with it or meddle in a self serving way, I don't have my ego at stake in the process anymore.

Takes a lot of trust in God's will, huh? It also takes some meditation, maybe some phone calls, prayer, to do my best to do the next right thing, knowing to my best ability to what that is...

Mark

[timbo555]

Step three states: "Made a decision] to turn my will and my life over to the care of God as I understand him. Period. God does for me what I will not do for myself. He won't do for me what I can do for myself.

For instance, I do not magically, instantly start farting bluebirds and singing kumbaya just because I've made a decision. Nor do I magically and instantly adopt some fancy, enlightened new attitude simply because I made a decision. I just made a decision. No consequence. nor prerequisite. Nothing, unless I follow that up with a rigorous course of action, the first of which is a thorough house cleaning. etcetera, etcetera.

If all I had to do was recite the third step prayer I would have been "cured"
a long time ago. My sobriety, God, requires more than that from me If I am going to find "relief from the bondage of self."