My Step 3 Prayer

Aquaman · MIP Old Timer

My Step 3 Prayer

Sobrietyspell · MIP Old Timer

What follows has been called "The Step Three Parable" because it captures what we think is the essence of the Third Step:

A drunk is staggering along the street and he meets God.

"God, I can't do this anymore," he says. "Please, please, will you give me sobriety?"

God says, "Sobriety isn't free, how much money do you have?"

The drunk reaches into his pocket. "Fifty bucks."

"I'll take it," says God, "you're sober."

The man stands up straight, drunk no more. It feels pretty good. "Yeah but, God?" "Yes?" "I know I gave you my money willingly. But, you see, I need to get gas for my car."

God says, "You have a car?"

"Well, yes."

"You didn't tell me that. I'll take the car."

"But..."

God interrupts and says, "I'll take the car. It's part of the price for your sobriety."

"But how will I get to work?"

"You have a job? I'll take the job, too."

"But God, how will I pay my mortgage?"

"Mortgage? You have a house? I'll take that too."

"But God, my family. How will I take care of them if You have my house and my job?"

God says to him gently and lovingly: "In order to keep your sobriety; you must give Me these things. But I will let you drive My car, as long as you remember it's MY car. You can have the job, but remember you're working it for ME. It's My house but I will let you live in it. And as for the family, they are MY family but I will trust you to take care of them."

Even though we have taken a considerable amount of time on the first three Steps, all we have done is make decisions. Now we are going to begin to take some specific actions that will carry us the rest of the way to God... (Steps 4-12).

I love this, Rob. I found it on a revisit to our barefoot friend's website. Thank you for the reminder :) Goodluck & Godbless in your sobriety, Danielle x

turninggrey · MIP Old Timer

I love it!
Tom

Mr_David · MIP Old Timer

turninggrey wrote:
I love it!
Tom

Amen...me too. More please.......

happycamper · MIP Old Timer

3rd step prayer from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anoymous page 63 :

Many of us said to Our Maker, as we understood Him: " God I offer myself to thee to build with me and 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 Love, thy Power and thy way of Life. May I do they will always.

The book also says that we thought well before taking this step.

I have found that when I follow the book directions and do not change it according to my own liking or anyone else's, then I get the full effect of its purpose. And the purpose I have found is to follow the 12 steps exactly as they are written. No deviation.

bikerbill · MIP Old Timer

Yep, HC, Robs post and the step three prayer say teh same thing in different words - like the King James Bible and the New English Testament say teh same thing but in different words.

HeatherK · Veteran Member

Happy Camper, I am a teacher. I know when the children have truly learned something when they are able to take a concept, put it into their own words, internalize it, and practice it. This works far better than sheer memorization. I love what Rob has done because it shows what the step means to him. Honestly and directly.

To each their own. Whatever works! Blessings to all on this path! Heather

Aquaman · MIP Old Timer

Happycamper,
Thank you for your concern with my adherence to the program. Please read below, as taken from "A.A. Way of Life - Working The 12 Steps".

* This statement follows the Third Step Prayer on page 63 of the Big Book:
"The wording [used for the prayer to affirm our "3rd Step Decision"] was, of course, quite optional so long as we expressed the idea, voicing it without reservation."

Some of our founders and early members of the fellowship used a prayer other than the one on page 63 of the Big Book to take newcomers through their "decision" -- namely because the Big Book wasn't printed until 1939 and they got our Program from Oxford Group principles. Bill W., Dr. Bob, and Bill D. started making 12 Step calls and taking others through the "steps" in the summer of 1935.

Here is a "3rd Step Prayer" used by one of our early members:

THIRD STEP PRAYER
Used by Dr. Bob
Dear God,
I'm sorry about the mess I've made of my life.
I want to turn away from all the wrong things I've ever done and all the wrong things I've ever been. Please forgive me for it all.
I know You have the power to change my life and can turn me into a winner. Thank You, God for getting my attention long enough to interest me in trying it Your way.
God, please take over the management of my life and everything about me. I am making this conscious decision to turn my will and my life over to Your care and am asking You to please take over all parts of my life.
Please, God, move into my heart. However You do it is Your business, but make Yourself real inside me and fill my awful emptiness. Fill me with your love and Holy Spirit and make me know Your will for me. And now, God, help Yourself to me and keep on doing it. I'm not sure I want You to, but do it anyhow.
I rejoice that I am now a part of Your people, that my uncertainty is gone forever, and that You now have control of my will and my life. Thank You and praise Your name. Amen.

It's a big book. Easy to miss that "wording was of course, quite optional" part.

-- Edited by Aquaman on Thursday 20th of October 2011 07:25:00 PM

happycamper · MIP Old Timer

I am merely sharing my esh. I dont have a problem with staying sober because I follow the clear cut directions given in the big book. It does say rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.

It is my hope for Auqaman that he find whatever path works for him. I have seen him struggle for the past several years that I have been a member here.

StPeteDean · MIP Old Timer

Does it say, in the book, that we should be openly critical of others who have not thoroughly followed "our path"?

"Many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can't go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection." ch. 5

leeu · MIP Old Timer

"I dont have a problem with staying sober because I follow the clear cut directions given in the big book."

My ESH is from a different perspective. For me, the minute I believe that I don't have a problem with staying sober, I am already heading for trouble!

Alcoholism is a chronic, recurring, no-known-cure, relapse-prone disease, provoked by brain chemistry and environmental factors, including behavioral, mental, and emotional and spiritual processes that influence that brain chemistry (triggers that activate the relapse process, ultimate inability to not drink, etc.). It is a no-fault disease, yet highly stigmatized by centuries of ignorance and social undesirability vs. less than a century of science about etiology and effective treatment, recovery, and relapse prevention strategies, and better education for all people, everywhere.

As much wisdom is embodied in the literature--including, but not limited to, the "Big Book" of AA, my ability to stay sober goes way beyond just following directions. It is utterly INTERdependant with God's (or whatever functions as a mechanism to assure that I do not view myself as my own Higher Power) grace. It was suggested to me by AA "old timers" who knew the historical literature under- girding the Big Book that I read Tiebout, Gorski, Jung, Silkworth, Kurtz, White etc. Harry Tiebout writes brilliantly about "deflation at depth" and the crucial role of ego-surrender for the recovered alcoholic. Kurtz tackles the issue of the alcoholic coming to terms with being "Not-God" in order to attain and maintain sobriety. Gorski is a genius (and my personal life-saver) in the applied science of relapse prevention; Silkworth and Jung tackle body and soul, and so on. Bill W. did not operate in isolation and it is the essential contributions of AA that have been the major foundation for progressing in our current understanding of addictive disease.

However, it seems that in today's multi-12 step programs environment we have jettisoned--and even denigrated--the underlying knowledge that informed the steps and the AA writings in the first place. We often fail to look beyond the bottom-line, black and white phrases and cliches and overly simplistic beliefs about the incredible complex and difficult tasks of staying sober and preventing relapse and recovering from a relapse. I cringe every time I hear groups chant "It works if you work it." when so many members clearly have absolutely NO CLUE what "it" really is!!!! Too many just come, chant, leave, and either disappear or stay stuck inside AA with virtually no life to go along with being dry. "It" is a lot more than "Read the book, go to meetings, get a sponsor, carry the message". Being "recovered" (Bill's term) or being "in recovery" (treatment-based term) is a lot more than just being sober--it is all about growing and changing and moving toward my full God-given potential...happy, joyous, and free.

The information leading up to those "bottom lines" that can result in becoming happy, joyous, and free is imperative to understanding the dynamics of sustained sobriety and relapse prevention, in my opinion (which ain't all that humble LOL). Guess I felt a rant coming on, in defense of all those who have gone back "out", as we say, and had the life-saving fortune to "make it back".

StPeteDean · MIP Old Timer

leeu wrote:
"I dont have a problem with staying sober because I follow the clear cut directions given in the big book."

My ESH is from a different perspective. For me, the minute I believe that I don't have a problem with staying sober, I am already heading for trouble!

Alcoholism is a chronic, recurring, no-known-cure, relapse-prone disease, provoked by brain chemistry and environmental factors, including behavioral, mental, and emotional and spiritual processes that influence that brain chemistry (triggers that activate the relapse process, ultimate inability to not drink, etc.).
____________________________________
I see that you're in the "recovering" camp. Brilliant comments, Gorski saved my life as well. I was probably "too complicated for this simple program". Thank God for the couple other 12 step fellowships that I stumbled into that helped me with issues that were keeping me from getting sober, and giving me the full life that I have today.

happycamper · MIP Old Timer

I dont have a problem with staying sober because I follow the book ... the way it was written. How could I be headed for trouble if IM doing that?

I dont see where/how Im being critical by sharing my esh.

Aquaman has struggled with staying sober since Ive been a member here and thats not being critical, thats being truthful.

I am sorry that some of you feel differently.

It has also been my experience that pussy-footin around and not telling ppl the truth or telling them to just go ahead and do what works for them , their way is what usually kills ppl. Ive seen it happen.