Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Step Three

Surrender, surrender. There wasn't enough time for me to share at the meeting tonight and so I have a little something to say. The subject was attitudes making a difference. As I heard the discussion include concepts of expectations and resentments, my mind wandered on to self-will, feelings of victimization and self pity. And being caught in that trap of wanting to be well thought of by others. All I could think of was the need to surrender.

To place my will and my life in the CARE of a Higher Power. As Courage to Change p157 goes on to say . . . think of this care as a source of love and support that surrounds me in my daily life. I do not need to earn it or to work for it; I need only be receptive to it.

I surrender my best thinking. I surrender my feelings of frustration, temper and temptation to lash out. I surrender my angst, my fear, my doubt and my sadness. Instead, I look toward the light and let go of the person that I think I need to be.

What's good about today is putting aside my ego, a minute at a time.

10 comments:

  1. Thank you for this reminder. I am harboring a lot of resentment and anger right now towards my husband and I need surrender it and let it go.

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  2. Wish I had written that!!! Good blog. Thanks!

    Yeah, we'll just HAVE to fill our coffee cups at the same lunch counter one day--you going to the Inernational Convention in San Diego July 2010?

    It will be my first! Already booked.

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  3. Way too complicated Carol. Step Three is about making a decision. That's it! Simple. Did you decide to take steps three thru nine and make good on THAT decision by starting step four? because taking 4-9 is HOW we "turn of life and will over to God's care" at least that's how the co-founders of AA say they did. I believe them. Because I did it too and I got what THEY got: A spiritual awakening and a miraculous removal of the desire to drink. I have recovered.

    If not. Then you haven't taken Step Three yet.

    If so then you are alreayd making your inventory lists in step four. If you arent past Step Two. Yet.

    Don't complicate it, sweet pea. WAY to much going on in your idea of Step Three!!! That'll confuse they heck out youand anyone you sponsor or to whom you convey this Program.

    Stick with the Book. Those are the directions. Those are the only directions. Leave all the other stuff 'about' the steps out your actual practice of them and you won't be so confused anymore. I promise.

    Hope that helps!

    Peace,

    Danny S - RLRA
    http://recoveredalcoholic.blogspot.com

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  4. PS - There is no "surrender" in the Book, "Alcoholics Anonymous". Nice concept though!.



    Peace,

    Danny S - RLRA
    http://recoveredalcoholic.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I believe that we do surrender our wills in order to do Step One. In Step Two, I experience hope that by believing in a power greater than myself, I can be restored to sanity. In Step Three, I make a decision, a leap of faith, to turn my will over to a Higher Power. Thanks for sharing this Carol. In Al-Anon, we do speak about surrender.

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  6. I was actually moved to open the dictionary because I can see how people see it as Step I. But for me, after rereading the steps and the definition of this (surrender) verb which reads 'To relinquish posssession or control of to another', I will stick with it as Step III. And we need it all, Steps 1-3 over and over again.

    This has been an opportunity for me to hear some criticism, enjoy some support and state my case. An exercise of working my program as a recovering co-dependent, saying what I think. Thanks to all.

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  7. I love your final comment entry here. It says it all. Sounds to me like you have "IT". Can't say the same for Mr. Double-dipper......

    I just had to get my 2 cents worth in here. :)

    BTW - Thank you for your lovely comments on my blogs.

    Prayer Girl

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  8. Don't take it as criticism . . . .

    (I know . . . I know that's what co-dependents do best . . ok, I can respect that) :)

    . . . but efforts to be helpful are not always someone being negatively "critical". Instead you might try to look at it from a positive side - "positive" helpfulness may really been the motive.

    You can never be sure unless you are inside the persons head or have a highly developed human perception "gland". THAT comes increasingly with spiritual growth.

    I know that being close to an un-recovered alcoholic for any length of time does certainly rob "co-dependents" of that ability - and they tend to be very defensive after years of negative conditioning - but Recovered alcoholic who no longer suffer form untreated alcoholism aren't really all that critical anymore.

    We are more the helpers that the critics. At least knowing that might be a start.

    Hope that helps.

    Peace,

    Danny S - RLRA
    http://recoveredalcoholic.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete