When It’s Heavy, Ask For Help And Turn It Over

To a God of your understanding.

Step 3 of the AA Program says: “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”

When I was new to the AA Program, I remember first approaching this step thinking “So, God or whatever is listening, take it. And now what?” I was new to this way of thinking and new to trying to work with these spiritual concepts that were so very alien to me and my thinking.

Several people who had been successfully working their AA program and that I had known when they were still under the influence of active alcoholism took me “under their wings” and became my sponsors.

I had seen and heard many times prayers and mentions of God at the meetings and didn’t want anything to do with religion. They told me that this was a spiritual, not a religious program.

My next question, of course, asked them what is the difference between religion and spirituality. They told me that religion is man-made and spirituality is divinely inspired.

Who or what is a God? One of Merriam-Webster’s definitions is the supreme or ultimate reality. No mention of any religion. Nothing about what to call It. It is another way of saying Higher Power.

Very few, if any, believe that all of creation is man-made. That there is a Higher Power of some sort that created us all and everything in the universe. Not only creates but keeps planets in orbit, has babies born, and continues their “life” existing during their Earth experience.

Guides these hearts to continue beating without a thought given to how it does. Changes the color of tree leaves according to the season of the year. And on and on into infinity.

And this Higher Power is called by different names by different groups of people. God, Allah, Jesus, It, Him, and a host of different names are all applied by the particular group recognizing Its existence. My choice is God, although there is no right or wrong about the name.

I had no religious or spiritual training or understanding and thus wondered what was now different. After all, hadn’t I prayed to God to get me out of situations, even adding that if He did, I would never do it again?

After I used this “foxhole prayer,” nothing seemed to be any different at all. Nothing except my curiosity as to why nothing shook or roared around me. No bushes began to burn.

I was reminded of the man sitting on the curb in front of a Coney Island in Detroit asking for money so that he could eat. He had some coins and wadded bills in a can in front of him but still was asking for money so he could eat.

You see, he had asked for something too, and received it and was still sitting there asking for more and not even using what he had. If he were truly hungry, why didn’t he just take the money he had collected, walk inside, and order a Coney?

His thoughts had only taken him so far and all he had to do was take action on his thoughts, walk inside, be served, and eat.

Probably the most powerful portion of our lives is our thoughts. The thing is that thoughts, as powerful as they are, must be followed by some action or they do not leave the confines of our minds.

How does this relate to the topic of Our thoughts and turning it over? This is where CBA comes into play. I Conceive the thought or idea of turning my will and my life over to the care of God as I understand It, then I Believe that I can do this and that He will take it and guide me because It has for so many around me, then I Achieve turning it over.

Webster defines Achieve as a transitive verb: to carry out successfully; to get or attain as the result of exertion. As far back as grade school, I was taught that a verb was an action word meaning to do something other than merely thinking about it.

This means, to me, that I must then use my knowledge from the first 2 Steps and accept that there is a Higher Power and give It everything. Everything does not mean “all except for this one little thing.” It means all as in everything.

“God, take it all. I can’t handle it alone. I need your help and I need it right now!” This reminds me of the person who asked “How do you spell right” and the answer was “Rat.” “No, man, not that mousey kind of rat. Rat like rat now!”

This all means that I shouldn’t turn my will and my life over in that mousey kind of way but completely and totally with no strings or holdouts and KEEP IT THERE 24/7/365.

If I do that, I am working my program 24/7/365 to the best of my ability. Today I am Happy, Joyful, and Free, just like the Big Book talks of, and what does that mean?

It means that, if I can do it, so can you IF YOU ARE WILLING TO GO TO ANY LENGTHS TO GET IT! Have you had enough misery yet? Had enough agony yet? Enough physical, mental, and emotional pain yet?

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?

If so, then Conceive the idea that it can and will for you. Then Believe that if it did for others, it will for you also. And then you will Achieve Happiness, Joy, and Freedom.

Does this mean that you will be laughing all day and night? No. It does mean that, when life keeps coming at you, as it will, you will deal with it in a way that is the utter best for you and all around you.

Thank you, God!

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