Turning My Life Over To God
Being a Christian, spirituality is something that comes naturally to my recovery. This by all means does not mean that I am always spiritually healthy. It is something I must constantly be working on every day. In my active addiction, I have no relationship with my higher power unless I am in trouble or want something out of selfish motives. I find myself praying to God for all the wrong reasons when I am using. It was only when I finally made the decision to ask God to save my life again that I felt a sense of relief. When I am working an honest program of recovery, being spiritually fit and healthy is vital to my sobriety. It is the foundation I have to set in order to have a joyful and successful life. Asking God to remove my shortcomings helps me walk in His image. Having a good relationship with Him is beneficial in so many ways. It is the heartbeat of my recovery. If I am not in constant contact with my higher power, my chances of relapsing are sky high. I know His plan for me is something great.
Jeremiah 29:11 states “ I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope, and a future”.
I believe this to be so true. Everything great I have today, is because I continually surrender and live in God’s will. I must let all my self-will go and give it all to God. In step 3 of AA, we make a crucial decision in life to turn our will and life over to the care of God as we understand him. For some, this is a very hard thing to do. I can only hope that when I am spiritually healthy, my actions will help another addict or alcoholic who is still struggling. In the Big Book of AA, it says that God is the principal, and we are His agents. If I can remind myself of this every morning, I will have a great chance of eliminating self-will from the day. I will end with this; if anyone is struggling with prayer or surrendering control to a higher power, I suggest saying,
The Third Step Prayer. “God, I offer myself to thee- to build with me and to do with me as Thy will. Relieve me of the bondage of Self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victories 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.”
These spiritual steps are what helps me stay clean and sober today, and because of this I can live the best life possible, the life God intended me to have