Member: Phil S.
Location: Michigan
Date: 16 Feb 2003
Time: 09:32:06
Hello all! I'm an alcoholic named Phil. I have been all over the map on this step over the years. A simple program for complicated people. It says "made a decision" to turn our lives over to the care of God as we understood him. Just do it unconditionally. 1st step: I came! 2nd step: I came to! (my brain and emotions were healing from the beating that alcohol and drugs gave me)I was becoming more sane than I'd been in years. I could accept the teachings of other members who were making better choices (sanity). 3rd step: Okay God, I'm not so afraid of you anymore. I'm going to make the decision to work the step as it says. I need your help to "grow up" and to learn how to get along in life without my "crutches" which were alcohol and drugs. I asked members that I trusted and had something going for them that I didn't, to be my sponsors. I received instructions from them with this step as well as the others. I finally just made the decision. I'm alive and sober today, because I made the decision to ask God (humbly)to help me live life on life's terms. I still have a long way to go, but I don't have to go it alone anymore. Thank you for being there!
Member: Landscape Ray
Location: scotland
Date: 16 Feb 2003
Time: 10:41:05
Hi Phil made a decision ,it was something i didnt want to know "someone else running the show," but by now i had came to believe that there was a power greater than me,so i made it! and havnt looked back, had Admitted-Believed-and now Decided, Three frogs sitting on a log one made a decision to jump in " how many left on the log? answer three it only " made a decision! regards Ray
Member: Stuart M
Location: England
Date: 16 Feb 2003
Time: 11:20:37
I asked my sponsor what this decision involved and he told me it was a decision to get on with step 4 did i want to have a spiritual awakening or not. Seems simple enough to me, stay out of the debating society and get on with it he said. It's working for me one day at a time God bless you all
Member: Marv L
Location: Laurel,Ms.
Date: 16 Feb 2003
Time: 15:21:50
Hi,I"m Marv L,grateful to be sober today by the grace of God,AA,and the twelve steps of recover! My sponsor told me that ya can TELL when a person has made a decision to turn their will and their life over to the care of God....that the AA way of doing it is git a pencil and paper in yr hand,and start on Step FOUR! I wuz gonna tell the story of the three frogs--but Ray beat me to it,lol..! A program of action must follow our deciding,and I honestly think its usually PAIN that drives us into action! ONE,TWO,THREE: I cant,He can, Ill let HIm--requires genuine willingness on our part,and the pain of failure is a good motivator.It aint enough to just pray for the boat,gotta keep paddling!Thanks for a way outta the agony of alcoholism,hang in there!!!
Member: Kim V
Location: kvaughn@madison.main.nc.us
Date: 16 Feb 2003
Time: 18:12:11
Kim V here alcoholic. Turning my will over to God was easy. Not taking it back is the hard part as I am a control freak. I am doing better at it after 6 1/2 years in the program. I do notice that when I take my will back things get unmangeable real quick and this reminds me to again turn my will and live over to God once again. Thank goodness this program is about progress not perfection. But I can see myself growing and the more I learn to trust God, the less fear I have, and the less I feel the need to control. Thanks for letting me share.
Member: Helen W.
Location: Delaware
Date: 16 Feb 2003
Time: 20:28:55
I have to agree that the third step is a decision to go through with the rest of the program. If you check out the big book, right after you're done the third step, it says, "NEXT, we launch out on a course of vigorous action, the first step of which is a personal housecleaning." Or something like that. It's the very next paragraph, it doesn't even go to a new chapter, it doesn't say wait a year, it just says "NEXT." When I made that decision, the feeling came very strong that I was going to be Ok. And I continued to work the steps and haven't had to have a drink since. But the third step IS a decision that I can renew every day. Whether it's really the 3rd step or the 11th step is hard for me to say, sometimes the steps just seem to intertwine. I really love the part in the big book that leads up to the third step, about everyone (including me) wanting to run the whole show. It reminds me what I'm dealing with out in the world on a day-to-day basis. It fits me to a "T." When I read that in the morning, it seems to start my day off right and puts me in the right frame of mind to deal with people, places and things. I love being sober!
Member: Michele
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Date: 16 Feb 2003
Time: 22:04:23
My name is Michele and I AM an alcoholic! By the grace of god I am sober today! I always reference this to the old "bus" bit. If I drive the bus I turn on one-ways going the wrong way, frighten pedestrians, I do not drive the bus well! This has been proven by the amount of wreckage I leave behind. BUT if I get in the back of the bus and let god drive (and I mean let God drive, none of this "can we make a right up here?" or "are you sure we should be going this way?" I mean stay seated, and trust that God will drive the bus whereever he wants me to be! PS: I am very guilty of attempting to drive the bus...but events in my life quickly remind me to sit down and keep the seatbelt on! God is driving!! The bus bit helps me with the 3rd step! Thanks for letting me share!
Member: Bill T.
Location: North Wales PA
Date: 17 Feb 2003
Time: 08:51:46
My name is Bill and I am an alcoholic. I am sitting at my desk, snowed in, quite aware I'm not making my usual meeting today, yet Third Step Confident that I'll be cared for by a Higher Power who has provided me with this on-line meeting and all of your experience, strength, and hope to care for my disease. Thank you, guys, for being there - and here on line - for all of us who need you.
Member: Iris O
Location:
Date: 17 Feb 2003
Time: 11:55:09
Sometimes I find that God's will for me is to go out into the world and explore possibilities. I used to want to know the end result of things before I invested time in the beginning(a fear based action). I am finding that being vulnerable can be safe and It will often bring great dividends.
Member: AZbill
Location: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Date: 17 Feb 2003
Time: 12:17:32
HI All, Bill here Alcoholic from Arizona. Great shares and there is absolutely nothing I can add to step three. All I did in Step 3 was make the decision to do Step 4. If anyone is having any problems with the word God, I would suggest looking up god in the dictionary and reading "The Sermon on the Mount" by Emmet Fox. In these references, I learned that God was a spiritual entity and not a religious entity. I learned that Jesus taught metaphysics and spirituality. And I learned that there was no theology taught in the Bible. And found out later that Bill Wilson used Sermon on the mount as one of the three references to write the program of Alcoholic Anonymous as we know it today. Bill az-bill@mindspring.com
Member: Shannon D
Location: Alaska
Date: 17 Feb 2003
Time: 17:16:55
I an alcoholic, named Shannon. Third step is a constant battle as I am Selfish and self-centered as the book discusses on page 62. I have lived with so much fear, self delusion, and self-seeking motives for so long that daily I need to live differently than what I used to. In doing so (living differently) I have made a decision to continue through all the rest of the steps, one at a time, in order. I owe my life to God that he provided me with a simple solution that AA has provided me.
Member: Joe P
Location: Chicago
Date: 17 Feb 2003
Time: 17:47:22
My name is Joe, and I am an alcoholic. Third Step - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him. This step calls for a decision. Am I in this program and willing to continue on, or am I not? We can choose the certain insanity and death of drinking, being powerless over alcohol. Or we can choose the hope presented in Step 2, that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to the sanity of sobriety. Choose life. A decision by itself is shallow without the actions consistent with the decision. The actions consistent with the decision in Step 3 are in the rest of the Steps. So get to writing. For me today, turning will and life over to the care of God means donāt drink, go to meetings (step meetings), and practice the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous to the best of my ability. Thanks for all of your comments. Joe
Member: James W.
Location: Racine, WI.
Date: 17 Feb 2003
Time: 22:59:51
Effectiveness of this decision is only seen by the effort on the next steps. Made a lot of decisions in my life with no actions. This decision took a willingness of working those action steps.
Member: L.W.R
Location: CANADA
Date: 18 Feb 2003
Time: 03:37:29
awesome comments! some people are just so on track with this program and i think its just great! i have also learned that "FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD! which sounds like the underlying theme of what some of you were sharing. I have also discovered that I CAN HAVE FAITH "AND STILL KEEP GOD OUT OF MY LIFE" same thing again. you know, once you get a taste of what can happen when you do the work.. it can get really exciting, the alcoholic tendancy to become a growth and change junkie is there. i used to spend to much time working on my program, and i was so wrapped up in the steps that i forgot to live and breath and have fun. In fact i really didn't have a "ME" I was like a programed robot,repeating the steps of recovery and 12 step lingo 24-7 and i really didn't have a personality or a passion, or a anything. i had to go through what i had to go through... so now i am in another phase of my life.. so what?,, and really it is just life, learning and living life, its not ALL about the steps and the program for me anymore, but never in a million years would i want to be without this awesome program and fellowship,,, now that's an overdramatized statement, but you know what i mean. So, another sunset and sunrise without alcohol is what i'm wishing for everyone today. love and fellowship.
Member: Bob B
Location: Vanderbilt Mi
Date: 18 Feb 2003
Time: 05:57:51
Bob here, alcoholic. BRAVO to the many AA responses to step 3. I have so often heard that people turned their lives over in step 3 then go on living as they always did and wonder why nothing changed. I would like to suggest that until I do steps 4, 5, & 6, I don't have a clue of what my "will" is. Step three is just the decision part as others have said and then step 4 is where I actully go to the action of finding out. It works. I did it. I am doing my 5th one as I type this. "more will be revealed" The AA way works without fail. God bless you all in your efforts.
Member: D.J.W.
Location: CHICAGO
Date: 18 Feb 2003
Time: 16:26:10
THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE I WILL BE HAPPY AND REJOICE IN IT. MADE A DECISION TO TURN MY WILL AND MY LIFE OVER TO THE CARE OF GOD.YOU GET NO MORE CHANCES AT FEB18,2003.PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AN DO ALITTLE SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE.GOD LOVES YOU .THATS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. MY WAY DID'NT WORK.GODS WAY DOES.I HOPE AND PRAY EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS ITS ONLY A DAY AT A TIME.I CAN DO ANYTHING FOR JUST ONE DAY WITH GODS HELP.KEEP COMING BACK.D.J.W.
Member: D.J.W.
Location: CHICAGO
Date: 18 Feb 2003
Time: 17:05:29
THE THIRD STEP IS POWER WITH GODS HELP I CAN DO ALL THINGS.THIS IS WHAT I GET OUT OF THE THIRD STEP.GOD DID'NT SAVE ME FROM THAT BULLSHIT LIFE TO PUT ME IN ANOTHER ONE.THERES NOTHING HUMDRUM ABOUT THIS WAY OF LIFE.DON'T PUT LIMITATIONS ON GOD. GOD LOVES YOU. I LOVE YOU.THE WHOLE --------WORLD LOVES YOU.ACT AS IF. ITS TRUE.THE LORD IS MY ROCK IN HIM I WILL TRUST.DON'T GET SCARED I'M A DRUNK THAT DON'T DRINK OR DRUG OR SMOKE.THANK YOU A.A D.J.W.
Member: Cec H
Location: Cowtown
Date: 18 Feb 2003
Time: 17:17:08
Hi all Cec H alkie here. The thing that saved my ass on this step was in the 12&12 on page 40. That read "it is when we try to make our will conform with God's that we begin to use it rightly. Our whole trouble had been the mis-use of willpower. We had tried to bombard our problems with it instead of attempting to bring it into agreement with God's intention for us. So I actually get to use my willpower, because the idea of just floating thru life waiting for God to give me a Job or keep me out of trouble just botherd the heck out of me. This way I can do something but leave the results up to Him.
Member: Melanie
Location: Ohio, USA
Date: 18 Feb 2003
Time: 23:49:00
Hello friends, I'm Melanie an alcoholic. I mde step 3 so complicated for myself that I just couldn't get it for a while. Wish I'd had this meeting back then! I tried and tried to write that 4th step and kept getting nowhere. So I took a step back and found a pamphlet called the Four Absolutes. I began to practice honesty, unselfishness, purity and love in my daily life. I could feel my personality changing to the point that I was then able to finish that 4th step and beyond. When I'm in a mental jam these days I still try to practice these ideals, even if I can handle only one at a time. I soon feel that my actions are beginning to align with God's will for me today. Progress, not perfection here! These absolute ideals are a lot better guides for my life than what I was working with before!(take the opposite of each and you will have met the former me!) Thank you for sharing with me and letting me share with you.
Member: mike
Location: out west
Date: 19 Feb 2003
Time: 09:32:00
mike here alcoholic. I guess the proof of step three for me is action. The action I take into all the rest of the steps is the proof of step three. A week out of jail I picked up a phone. My choices were drink, die, or ask for help and I picked up a phone. I laugh a lot today and say that the you have finished step three when you have an pencil in your hand and are writing step 4 and that if you haven't done step 4 you are doing the aa waltz, step 123,123,123,123. Oh what a relief it is. Yours, mike
Member: AnilG
Location: MtVernon,IL
Date: 20 Feb 2003
Time: 09:35:04
I am an alcoholic this 3rd step is the corner stone for my recovery to stop drinking and try to be spiritual. this step forms the basis and only treatment of my insanity. I was athesist did not believe in god first after I hit my bottom and thought i would die and have no chance to live that is when I was saved since then I have followed god;s will and I remain sober that to aa and alanon for the help.
Member: Lyn
Location: Michigan
Date: 21 Feb 2003
Time: 06:02:13
So true, "faith without works is dead". The phrase, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions", also comes to mind, and one in which I can unforturnately relate well with. A very painful existence is what brought me to the rooms of AA. I honestly believe that I would do anything to end my suffering, and fully INTENDED to work the steps. Self-centered fear kept me stuck at step four, and before long I was truly on the road to hell once again. That was ten years ago, and I am praying for the willingness and courage to continue on to step five this time. That road to hell is pretty rough, and I don't know if I'd make it back again. I thank you all for your commments, you have given me hope.
Member: Jackie L.Pa
Location: Pa.
Date: 21 Feb 2003
Time: 12:19:45
Hi All, Jackie here, alcoholic to the BONES but enjoying my daily reprieve today, by the grace of God and this wonderful fellowship Step Three was an incredibly soul-searching exercise for me at times like early on when I was terrified of everything. I journeyed to depths of acceptance then and as I did the fear began to lift. At times it has meant saying over and over again(as theB.B. says)" Thy will not mine be done.", often in an effort to keep me OUT of it. I came to realize that I didn't have to manage the universe! AAAHHHH.what sweet relief! There is a Power that does a better job at managing this little life of mine than I ever did. I love the things that He's done with me.....when I let Him have His way. Step three has absolutely been lived out by continuing on with the steps and I do love the changes that have come... more than I could ever say. Thanks for being there, the shares have been wonderful.
Member: marti h
Location: oregon
Date: 22 Feb 2003
Time: 17:30:43
Hi, I'm Marti, a gratful recovering alcoholic. The decision became easy for me to do when I realized that it was my higher power, not anyone elses. I threw away everything I thought about God and started over. I was told that it didn't have to be a religious higher power, but someone/thing greater than me. It really helped. I have noticed that each year my concept of a higher power grows deeper. This is my 1st time on, great comments.