They say that this is a simple program but that it's very hard to follow. I heard this in the beginning of my recovery, but when I read the steps I didn't see why. In fact, the program seemed simple, and I confidently told my sponsor that I could get through the steps in a couple of months. I can still see his smile as he told me, "Let's take it one day at a time." When I finally started, I saw what he meant.
"How can such a simple program be so hard to work?" I quickly began asking myself. What I found was that each step asked me to do something I had never done before - and that was uncover my beliefs, discover how I had twisted them to serve my own selfish ends, and then discard them for God's will rather than my own. Simple, yes, but not easy to do!
Over the years I've found that this program is much easier to work if/when I quit making it so complicated. And the way I do that is by still trying to force my will on things. I now know it's much simpler when I evaluate my motives, seek truly to be of service, and ask for God's will, not mine to be done. This truly is the easier, softer way.
Today I understand when they say that this is a simple program for complicated people!
