When we got to Step 2 before I got sober, I never took this seriously because I didnt believe I needed to be restored to sanity because I didnt believe I was insane since I never was arrested, I wasnt living on the streets, etc etc etc. Through very good sponsorship, I saw my alcoholic insanity as this: repeated attempts to control AND enjoy my drinking, swearing off drinking after a bad run forever and really meaning it and then going back to it with months of abstinence...and suffering from strange mental blank spots where alcohol is concerned I can not differentiate the true from the false..."it wont hurt me this time and here's how...."
That was what I needed to see to believe that I needed to be restored to sanity, and seeing that playing the old tape through wont work for me, it made me open minded to the God thing as I needed to be at that point. Additionally, seeing people in AA put this process into their lives and get better also gave me the idea that "if it worked for them then maybe it will work for me"....the mustard seed of willingness to believ I had, and I went with it...my sponsor had me list the qualities I would want a best friend to have, and that was God for me. It worked.
When we got to Step 3, there were some requirements...was i convinced of the ABC's? And was i convinced that my life run on self-will cant be a success?
If I wasnt, why would I wanna turm my life over to God?
Then, my excperience is the prayer is just an affirmation of the 3rd step decision, and I have taken the 3rd step when I am writing a resentment list. Why? Because We Agnostics tells us that sometimes we had to SEARCH FEARLESSLY, but He was there, and by writing this 4th Step is my searching fearlessly....when I heard Bob D say this it blew the doors open for me....
It makes sense when you think about it.