STEP 3 ..THE EASIEST OF STEPS???

[Lionback]

3. Made a decision..to turn my will and my life over to the care of a
God I understood

When i accepted the fact I was powerless , I also needed a greater power to restore me to sanity..If I belive and accept this . making a decison was alredy done.
my making a decison to attend AA meetings (meeting I initially didn't want to) was doing God's will.. for me ..to reinforce this (when I understood what had happened )I wrote the date down in my big book so that I know I have turned my will and my life over. this action of writing the date down gives me peace and security of a decison completed.

[GeoffS]

3. Made a decision..to turn my will and my life over to the care of a
God I understood

When i accepted the fact I was powerless , I also needed a greater power to restore me to sanity..If I belive and accept this . making a decison was alredy done.
my making a decison to attend AA meetings (meeting I initially didn't want to) was doing God's will.. for me ..to reinforce this (when I understood what had happened )I wrote the date down in my big book so that I know I have turned my will and my life over. this action of writing the date down gives me peace and security of a decison completed.

The hard part is to do Step 3 every day, even when things are going well

[Dallas]

The hard part is to do Step 3 every day, even when things are going well

That's what Steps 4 through 9 are. So that we don't have to keep taking Step 3 every day.

Step Three is "making a decision to turn it over to"

Steps 4 through 9 "turns it over to"

Steps 10-12 "keep it turned over to"

At least... that how it works for me. And, yes... we've all got thr right to be unique and different! So... don't hit me with a hammer or I'll never correct my spellin!

[DiggerinVA]

Dern I keep finding more stuff in that 10th Step.

Here are some excerpts:

Chapter 6 of the book -- Alcoholics Anonymous


INTO ACTION



This thought brings us to Step Ten, which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code.



It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. "How can I best serve Thee-Thy will (not mine) be done." These are thoughts which must go with us constantly. We can exercise our will power along this line all we wish. It is the proper use of the will.

I boldfaced a section. Sounds familiar to me.

[Dallas]

Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. "How can I best serve Thee-Thy will (not mine) be done." These are thoughts which must go with us constantly.

Thanks Digger. I appreciate you posting that!

For me, it describes living Step 11.

At Step 3, I made a decision to enter the world of the spirit.
At Step 10, I entered the world of the spirit. And, I decide to stay there.
At Step 11, I live in the world of the spirit.
At Step 12, I can how help others enter the world of the spirit.

At Step 3, I made a decision to attempt conscious contact.
At Step 10, I made conscious contact.
At Step 11, I live with conscious contact and attempt to improve it.

Step 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve
our conscious contact with God as we understood
Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us
and the power to carry that out.

At Step 12, I work with conscious contact to carry out His will.

Without God -- spiritual is just another word.


Dallas

[Sermon]

I find I have to do step 3 daily. Expecially when I start trying to take back the show and run things my way. I have to step back every now and then and make sure that my decision I've made is best for everyone and not to benifit me. Checking my motives is a must in my sobriety. I have to ask myself what is best for "everyone"? Sometimes that's hard to do (being that the principle of Step 3 is Faith, and I'm not always so good at relying on Faith). I also find using step three when things are going bad. I have to stop and take a deep breath and remember that God is running my life not me. It's hard to do at first but the more I try the better I get at it.

Thank you God for taking the weight off my shoulders!!!!

[Toast]

Whenever i see a banner at a convention that says ' You Are No Longer Alone' i think about Step 3.

By the time we get to this Step we will have joined a group ( part of Step 2, finding a power greater than ourselves) and we will have a sponsor on board to help us on our journey.

So at Step 1 we came into the fellowship all alone and now only at Step 3 we have a sponsor and whole host of friends wishing us well in our search for soberiety.

Isn't AA truely miraculous!

[PeaceJoy]

That it is! It's amazing to find friends who actually lift you up and want you to do well, asking nothing in return.

PeaceJoy~

[chollis]

I like this step 3. I am not a big believer in God but I do think that by taking the step and joining AA I am headed in the right direction. Like I have said before I look to my friends they understand me and have seen where I have been and don't drink as much either. I think staying in this right direction is good and I am going to keep going this way.

[Dallas]

You know. I like the way you think, Chollis.
You're definitely the type of person that could have been a lot of help to me
in my own early recovery. I appreciate your sharing.

When I look back on my own experience -- I think that Step 3, was probably the hardest of all the Steps for me.

I honestly don't know what I believed. Part of me didn't want to believe. Part of me didn't believe. And, another part of me felt like I believed just enough to make me really uncomfortable and miserable.

I would have NEVER even considered for one iota of a second -- to turn my life over to anything, other than sex, drugs, alcohol and rock and roll! And, surely NOT to God, because if there was a God -- He might have me give up sex and other stuff that I wanted to do -- in addition to giving up on drugs & alcohol.

If I could have found any way whatsoever around Step 3, so that I could bypass it -- I would have done it!