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Post by caressa on Nov 17, 2004 16:20:33 GMT -5
How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterward.
- Spanish proverb
The beauty of the Third Step is that there's no real work for us to do. Making a decision to turn our will and our life over to the care of God requires no energy, no movement. We don't have to grit our teeth. It's only a decision and can be made in the blink of an eye. The action comes from God.
We don't need to do anything to earn the grace of God. In fact, there isn't any way we could earn it. This grace is ours when we let it come to us. Trusting God's love for us is all it takes.
I will rest knowing that my life is in God's hands.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
I couldn't believe there wasn't already a post on this step in this section. It is the stepping stone to working the other steps. No wonder so many people get stuck here and can't move on with their lives.
The decision is made her to continue working the program. Without that decision, for me a daily one, I would be continuing acting out in my disease even though I wasn't using.
This Step tells me I have to make a decision to let God into my life. I didn't find a true perspective of God until I had worked all the other Steps, and as I continued to learn to live them, the decision became easier to make. This is a program of practice.
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Post by Lin on Nov 17, 2004 18:13:49 GMT -5
I think people get stuck on this step out of fear of facing the 4th and 5th steps. Not so with me. I was attending a step class and had been learning about the last few steps where the spirituality shines. I wanted to get to t hat spiritual awakening, so I got busy with my steps.
I see step three as the third part of the short version..I can't, HE can, I'm gonna let him.
When i first worked the steps I was not allowign my HP in my life at that time. And i realized this program woudl be so much easier if i gave HIM another chance. WOW! What a wonderful solution! Turning my will and my life over to HIM since I had made such a mess of it. GREAT IDEA!
LIN
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Post by lildee on Nov 18, 2004 1:51:57 GMT -5
For me and this is my own perspective, Step Three was one of the most difficult. My words are not intended to offend nor persaude anyone. This is MY story.
My problem was not in being able to make the "decision" but in the part "God as we understood Him".
To understand this statement you would need to know that I learned everything about religion and God from my grandparents, who were Orthodox Jews. For them religion and God were one in the same.
Then at home with my mom I saw the hipocrasy of how she said she was religious and did things against our religion.
So God was out of my life for a long, long time.
When I came into the program and started working the Steps I hit Step 3.
"Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him."
God? At this point in my life I had no idea who God was or what I believed about Him. And being taught religion and all the things about God from my grandparents only made matters worse. If I believed in this "God of the Program" am I going against my belief in only one God?
I fretted , ponderered and prayed on the answer. Nothing came to me. How could I start believing in a "new" God? Would I be just as hipocritical as my mother?
Finally I spoke many, many hours to an old sage. Our conversations into religion and God were as deep and intense as you could imagine.
Essentially what it wound up as was that God created man. And man with all his wisdom created religion as a means to control and teach the population. It was man who created all the rules and regulations of religion, not God. God's only request to us was to believe in Him.
That was it the link I needed to hear. It was a way for me to seperate God and religion.
Sure I still believe in the God of Abraham, but I also believe that God is a lot more expansive than that. He is the God to all His creatures. From the small little ant to the powerful world leaders. From the trees and streams to the fish spawning in them. God is everywhere and in everything you do and see. God is not just one God for one religion, He is all encompassing of this small rock we live on in His vast universe. And we are all given a gift of choice how to believe in the God of our understanding.
From there I was able to turn my will and my life over to the Creator whom I choose to call God.
For me there is no fixed image of what God looks like. Somedays He is an old bearded man, somedays God appears female, on other days God is a fleeting spirit.
There is no definite form or figure. But what always remains is His source of energy and power to believe.
An entity that I can turn to each day and know will be there for me.
And so I have gone forth into this vast world with my "new perception" of God. For me He has been there guiding me, giving me hope and courage to face another day. And for that I thank Him everyday.
Amen
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Post by caressa on Nov 18, 2004 2:20:48 GMT -5
Thank you for sharing my friend. I too had a similar experience, only my past was founded on the beliefs of the Gospel Halls were everything is "Thou shall not!" I lived my whole life believing I was a walking sin and that I was going to be struck down by the wrath of God at any time.
When I got here as I believe I have shared before, I thought I knew who God was, but I didn't believe I was insane. By the time I got a year sober, I knew I was insane and didn't know who God was.
The God of my understanding kept me clean my first year, and I only had a religious perspective on this God and it worked for me. Nothing wrong with it except for the fact that I was sober and didn't have sobriety.
This is where I believe the open-mindedness comes in. When I opened my mind to other concepts other than what I knew and had been taught, then it opened a God much bigger, grander and greater than any concept I had ever imagined in my own humanness.
As I continue this journey, God reveals Himself daily. I try not to limit Him with my expectations, my perception and my narrow-mindedness. Today I believe through God all things are possible, and more importantly, through Him, I can do all things, be all things, whatever He chooses for me to do and be.
All I have to do is make the decision daily, to turn my day over to Him, open my eyes, my ears, my heart and soul to His guidance and care. He does not do for me what I can do for myself, yet I am never alone on this journey called life. When I make that decision, He is always there.
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Post by Lin on Nov 18, 2004 3:21:45 GMT -5
Thanks Lildee. Very well put! I found your share enlightening...never discouraging. It was good of you to share this with us.
And caressa...i have known that GOD to an extent to, but today "my" GOD is not a punishing GOD at all.
Mine is a loving, forgiving, always willing to help GOD. mine is all knowing and all powerful. I trust my GOD. That FEAR of GOD i heard as a child has a different meaning today. It used to be fear the WRATH if I sinned....but today it is FEAR seems to translate to AWE. It's more like HIS power is so great I am speechless..in AWE. And that's how i see the FEAr of GOD.
I know by gaining spiritual connectedness through my recovery programs, THAT led me back to GOD and helped me gain a new FAITh.
LIN
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Post by caressa on Nov 18, 2004 22:21:37 GMT -5
Dear Lin, My God isn't a punishing God today, although I think He does discipline and guide me. If I don't learn the lesson the first time, He keeps bringing me back until I do get it right. He is a loyal companion and friend, who loves me unconditionally. He has more faith in me than I sometimes can find within myself. I say He, because it is an old tape. God is as I need Him/Her/It to be in today. He is every changing, He is not limited, He is all things. I remember back in the days of Another Empty Bottle writing that and someone responded with "Now she is trying to change God's gender!!!" I have never forgotten Mr. D. if you are still out there. Back then I was posting under the name of Butterfly. |
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Post by Tiger on Nov 26, 2004 18:42:27 GMT -5
Great Discussion!
IMO the "sunday morning God" is worshiped according to creed and dogma of a particular religion. It's like "dressing up tp go to the prom"
However, that same God can also be my personal friend and HP all week long as I live life on a daily basis.
It took me 10 years to realize the principle of "Divine Providence"....which tells me "nothing is happening by mistake in my life".......and ultimately, "Good will come out of my present situation' no matter how bad it can be at this point of time.......in God's time, not mine!
The above principle gives me "courage" to take step 3
Tiger.
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Post by majestyjo on Feb 15, 2018 11:20:29 GMT -5
My God as He reveals Himself to me in today. I don't have to go to church to connect with Him. I feel as though my God is too big to fit in church. That is limiting Him and restricting Him as to what He can do for me. In today, I can walk in faith and let go fo the fear.
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. I will be back looking for Lin and others.