3rd Step
A Firm Foundation
07/Jul/08
At first, doing a searching and fearless personal
inventory looked like another excuse to be hard
on myself. It was important for me to concentrate
on the first three Steps in order to build a firm
spiritual foundation for my recovery.
In these initial Steps we begin by admitting that we are powerless over certain things—alcohol or relationships or whatever—and learn that God has no such limitations. We decide to place our life and our will in His hands. We begin to let go of the burdens that have been weighing us down. Only after we have worked these Steps are we ready to move on. We can go forward with God's guidance.
The first three Steps are the cornerstone of recovery. No matter how long we are in recovery, no matter how much progress we make, we ultimately stand on that foundation.
In these initial Steps we begin by admitting that we are powerless over certain things—alcohol or relationships or whatever—and learn that God has no such limitations. We decide to place our life and our will in His hands. We begin to let go of the burdens that have been weighing us down. Only after we have worked these Steps are we ready to move on. We can go forward with God's guidance.
The first three Steps are the cornerstone of recovery. No matter how long we are in recovery, no matter how much progress we make, we ultimately stand on that foundation.
—Anonymous
Take My Life
05/Jul/08
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
—Frances Havergal
Three
06/Jun/08
Step Three suggests that I put my will and my
life in to God's care. God loves as I am, in
spite of who I am, and accepts me with
compassion. In this Step I become receptive to
His guidance; I become willing to be cared for by
Him.
I don't need to earn God's care. I don't need to work for it. He offers it freely if I will just accept it. I continue to have my own freewill, but I now choose to let God care for me.
I don't need to earn God's care. I don't need to work for it. He offers it freely if I will just accept it. I continue to have my own freewill, but I now choose to let God care for me.
—Anonymous
The Third Step Prayer
16/May/08
Some of the best help that I ever received came
from my sponsor when he got me to promise to say
the Third Step Prayer every morning before my
feet hit the floor—and at night, before I went to
sleep, to say thank you to God for the gift of
sobriety one more day.
He didn't actually extract a promise from me. He didn't come to me and say, "OK, here's what I want you to do." No, it was something I asked. "HOW??? can I do this being sober thing?" I asked how he did it, and what I could do to have what he had, peace and sobriety. So he told me that I could try getting my knees to say the Third Step Prayer every morning before my feet hit the floor—and at night, before I went to sleep, to say thank you to God for the gift of sobriety one more day. In the beginning, I had to write out the prayer and tack it to the wall near my bed. I know it by heart now; I've been saying it every day for sixteen years.
The Third Step Prayer (from AA's Big Book, p. 63)
God, I offer myself to Thee—
To build with me
and to do with me as Thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self,
that I may better do Thy will.
Take away my difficulties,
that victory over them may bear witness
to those I would help of Thy Power,
Thy Love, and Thy Way of life.
May I do Thy will always!
He didn't actually extract a promise from me. He didn't come to me and say, "OK, here's what I want you to do." No, it was something I asked. "HOW??? can I do this being sober thing?" I asked how he did it, and what I could do to have what he had, peace and sobriety. So he told me that I could try getting my knees to say the Third Step Prayer every morning before my feet hit the floor—and at night, before I went to sleep, to say thank you to God for the gift of sobriety one more day. In the beginning, I had to write out the prayer and tack it to the wall near my bed. I know it by heart now; I've been saying it every day for sixteen years.
The Third Step Prayer (from AA's Big Book, p. 63)
God, I offer myself to Thee—
To build with me
and to do with me as Thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self,
that I may better do Thy will.
Take away my difficulties,
that victory over them may bear witness
to those I would help of Thy Power,
Thy Love, and Thy Way of life.
May I do Thy will always!
—Anonymous
Came, Came To
13/Apr/08
Here's a good summary of the first three Step: "I
came. I came to. I came to believe."
I came. When I admitted my powerlessness, I came into the beginning of recovery.
I came to. When I realized that there was a Higher Power who could restore my sanity, I began to awake from my clouded thinking.
I came to believe. When I decided to turn control over to God's and place myself in His care, I began to believe that Jesus really did love me.
I came. When I admitted my powerlessness, I came into the beginning of recovery.
I came to. When I realized that there was a Higher Power who could restore my sanity, I began to awake from my clouded thinking.
I came to believe. When I decided to turn control over to God's and place myself in His care, I began to believe that Jesus really did love me.
—Anonymous
Personal Jesus
08/Apr/08
AA's wording of Step Three suggests that we turn
"our will and our lives over to the care of God
as we underst[an]d Him." This expresses
a humble point of view, one that recognizes that
no one of us is capable of fully understanding
God and His will. While all of us in this
recovery fellowship recognize Jesus as our Higher
Power, no two of us have the same relationship
with Him. He reaches out to us as individuals,
loving each uniquely.
Chapter 4 of the Big Book closes with these words: "Even so has God restored us all to our right minds. To this man, the revelation was sudden. Some of us grow into it more slowly. But He has come to all who have honestly sought Him.
"When we drew near to Him He disclosed Himself to us!"
Reach out and touch faith.
Chapter 4 of the Big Book closes with these words: "Even so has God restored us all to our right minds. To this man, the revelation was sudden. Some of us grow into it more slowly. But He has come to all who have honestly sought Him.
"When we drew near to Him He disclosed Himself to us!"
Reach out and touch faith.
—Anonymous