Then we offered tobacco to the Spirits and prayed for help--I took
out the sacred objects and practiced the power bestowed upon
men. Walks-in-the-Rain Winnebago Then it is
explained that the other Steps of the A.A. program can be
practiced with success only when Step Three is given a determined and
persistent trial. This statement may surprise newcomers who have
experienced nothing but constant deflation and a growing conviction that
human will is of no value whatever. They have become persuaded, and
rightly so, that many problems besides alcohol will not yield to a
headlong assault powered by the individual alone. But now it appears that
there are certain things which only the individual can do. All by himself,
and in the light of his own circumstances, he needs to develop the quality
of willingness. When he acquires willingness, he is the only one who can
make the decision to exert himself. All of the Twelve Steps require
sustained and personal exertion to conform to their principals
and
so, we trust,
to God's will. It
is when we try to make our will conform with God's that we begin to use it
rightly. To all of us, this was a most wonderful revelation. Our whole
trouble had been the misuse 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. To make this increasingly possible is the purpose
of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, and Step Three opens the
door. Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions pg.
40
Grandfather give us power to do your will.
|