A Dozen Steps

The Third Step

by Mark on March 31st, 2008

Let’s end the month of March with the Third Step. There’s a motive, yes. I’ll let you in on it in a minute…

Step #3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

This is a wonderful paragraph from the Big Book, pg. 61;

“Our actor is self-centered - ego-centric, as people like to call it nowadays. He is like the retired business man who lolls in the Florida sunshine in the winter complaining of the sad state of the nation; the minister who sighs over the sins of the twentieth century; politicians and reformers who are sure all would be Utopia if the rest of the world would only behave; the outlaw safe cracker who thinks society has wronged him; and the alcoholic who has lost all and is locked up. Whatever our protestations, are not most of us concerned with ourselves, our resentments, or our self-pity?”

Raises hand - guilty here!

Oh, and let me add - recovered versus recovering, you had better see it my way or you’re not real… puleeeze.

“The more we become willing to depend upon a Higher Power, the more independent we actually are. Therefore dependence, as A.A. practices it, is really a means of gaining true independence of the spirit.”

Let Go and Let God, Live and Let Live. Practice, practice, practice. We get better at it and it is worth it! Now… it’s

Time to launch!

From pg. 63 (the motive);

“Next we launched out on a course of vigorous action, the first step of which is a personal housecleaning, which many of us had never attempted. Though our decision was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once followed by a strenuous effort to face, and be rid of, the things in ourselves which had been blocking us. Our liquor was but a symptom. So we had to get down to causes and conditions.”

Really doesn’t give me the impression that this is simply suggested - how about you?

Fourth Step coming up!

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POSTED IN: The Fourth Step, The Third Step