Working the Program – Step Three
The third of the twelve steps in a 12 Step Program is “[We] made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.”
In Step One we have admitted our powerlessness to overcome addictive behaviors on our own. And in Step Two we accepted that there is a Higher Power, and it has the power to release us from the insanity of addiction. So now, we are ready to take the next step: giving ourselves over to this Higher Power—God, as we ourselves understand God.
The first part of this step reminds us that WE made the decision. It wasn’t forced upon by anyone. It may be the first time in a long while we have made a good decision for ourselves.
Then, we turn our will and our lives over to our Higher Power. “Turn it over” is a common phrase used in Twelve Step groups that reminds us to relinquishing into God’s care every challenge and problem as we go through our day. From the smallest irritation to the most threatening pull toward our addiction, when we feel our stress levels rising, or recognize the triggers that would make us drink or use, we simply say over and over again, “Turn it over; turn it over; turn it over.” In doing so, we make sure that our trained responses don’t kick in, and we have the ability to make new choices, better, healthier choices.
And then to our understanding of God. We are deciding to trust that God has power greater than ours, and can restore us to our right mind to help us make to sane and healthy choices, and to a life filled with greater serenity, personal power and joy. When we choose to let God be the overall manager of our lives, we “let go and let God”.
The Serenity Prayer is also something said often in Twelve Step groups:
God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference.
The Twelve Step Program plays a large part in the recovery process at Transitions Recovery.
