Third Step Prayer
July 8, 2008
I spun the random prayer wheel and landed on this:
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| God, I offer myself to Thee - to build with me and to 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 Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always! |
| alcoholics anonymous – big book – third step prayer – 1939 |
http://www.worldprayers.org/
Last night, I went to a meeting I had not been to before (though Carole says I have, I think she’s wrong). When the chairperson asked for a topic, a woman said she’d like to hear about the third step, not at the beginning of sobriety, but how it evolves for people over time. Today I spun the wheel and came up with the third step prayer. Last night someone articulated my thoughts about not always wanting to hear about early sobriety. My As Bill Sees It is turned to a page that says the steps and traditions will likely stay the same, but we can always learn to apply them more and in a better manner to our lives as we go along in the program.
I did not do a formal third step in the sense that some people seem to. If I manage to get through the steps and start back up top I will sometime, a long time from now, attempt a formal version. Key elements of it for me today are the fact that it asks for a decision, not flawlessness in carrying it out. It also explains that by joining AA and not drinking I have made a huge stride in the right direction. My will had me endlessly seeking the perfect high. God’s will is that I stay sober and do the hard work that entails.
I have never set to learning this prayer, but the events of last night and today show me that I ought to do so. It tells me that when I’m wrapped up in myself, I can’t do God’s will. It even seems a bit selfish to me right here right now to ask for victory over my difficulties so that I can bear witness to others about the glory of God. Like anything in AA, though, I have no doubt that if I keep working at it, I will one day see the wisdom and unselfishness of that request.
So the essence I find today is that I am to be an instrument of God, inasmuch as that is possible. I decided to do this, and for many reasons, I have to remind myself and decide anew often. When I have difficulties, I should view them from the place of seeking to do service to others.
