Some things I've been thinking about re: letting go and letting God.
- Naturally I will not want to turn anything over to anyone I believe is incapable. So unless I really get that my Higher Power is a caring, compassionate, competent God, then I will be reluctant to hand over what I think is so important.
Example: I would not leave my kids with someone I didn't think could take good care of them. (if I had kids!) If I am not turning things over to God, then I may need to re-examine my step two work about believing that a Higher Power could restore me to sanity...and step 3 in particular about the CARE of God.
- If I am struggling to let go, then I have not truly recognized my powerlessness in that area. I am still under the illusion that I can control things and that my way is better. I need to go back to step 1 and recognize that it is the times that I have asserted MY WILL, that is what has made my life unmanageable. Am i willing to try another way?
- If I want to let God do HIS will, then i can't still be holding and grasping onto that person, place, or thing.
Example: It is hard to fix a broken toy that a child will not let go of.
- If I say I am giving something God and then I take it back and try to fix, control, and manipulate it again, it's like I am stealing. When I truly give something to someone, it is not mine anymore. It is theirs.
Example: I am not going to go into my sister's home and take things off her shelf that I gave her for her birthday. They are her things that I gave to her. Not mine anymore.
- Step 11 says "praying only for the knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out". To me that implies letting go of my desire to know other things - like what my husband is doing, what's going to happen with his recovery, etc.
These things are not all easy, but they are helpful for me when I sit with them and go inside quietly to reflect on them and let God work through me.