Now we adopt a new way of thinking and acting. Step Three is my favorite step. It has made the biggest difference in my life. When I truly took Step Three I began to experience my Higher Power acting in my life, and doing for me what I could not do on my own "power". My life dramatically changed for the better.
It is impossible to take step three until we have taken the first two steps. In my experience, I need to focus on taking the first three steps, every day and often many times a day. It is especially helpful to work these steps when difficulties arrise as they do in the course of each day. Step Three is "Let go and let God." The impact on my life has been profound.
"To know and to do Your will God. I give up self will and humbly ask for help. I turn my will and my life, others, all things, what happens, my children and their lives, my spouse, all my relationships over to the Care of my H.P., holding nothing back." In Step Three we say in the words of our choosing, that we are now turning everything over to the Care of our Higher Power.
Step Three in a nutshell is: "I can't; God can; I think I'll let God!" The Third Step is deciding that from here on out, we will seek to follow spiritual guidance in making every decision. We now turn our will and our lives over to the Care of our Higher Power. We are no longer in charge of "running the show".
In this "Show" on the Grand Stage of Life, we are not the "Director", we are one of the actors. We don't write the story line. We participate in the story that has been designed and produced by a power greater than we are. We don't get to control the outcome of our lives or the lives of others.
We are not in charge of making sure that every turns out alright for our children, ourselves, or for anyone. We are powerless over the story line of our lives. We don't presume to know what needs to happen next in order for the Greater Good to be the end result. We are not in charge of tomorrow nor yesterday.
We can let go of trying to control every detail of our lives and the lives of others. We quit trying to "play god" it did not work. Each day we begin by turning all people, place and things over to the absolute Care of our Higher Power asking only for God's will to be done and for the ability to carry that out.
Once we have throughly taken the Third Step, we cannot fail to recover. That was certainly true for me. Once I turned all my concerns over to God and left them in God's care, I no longer needed to pretend to control life. I felt an immediate sense of great relief. I was no longer in charge of making sure that my life and the lives of my family members ended happily ever after. That was no longer my job. I let go of trying to "fix" and control. That was no longer my job description. That was now the complete care and responsibility of my Higher Power as I understood my H.P.
In Step Three I let go of my preconceived notions about what needs to happen next. I admit that if I am not in charge, then I don't know what needs to happen next. I don't know what needs to happen next for me or for anyone. God does, already know what needs to happen next in order for the Greater Good to be the end result. I don't have that kind of "Big Picture" vision and wisdom. My Higher Power, as I understand my Higher Power, does have that infinite wisdom and vision.
From now on I earnestly seek the leading and guiding of my Higher Power when faced with any decision in life. I humbly ask for help and ask only for my HP's will to be done and not mine. For some of us this is a whole new attitude. Once this attitude is adopted, we become teachable. We are open to listening for leading and guiding and no longer impulsively or compulsively act according to what we have usually done in the past. We turn the entire situation over to our HP.
When I turn my will and life over to God's Care, I am no longer in charge. When I am no longer in charge and admit my powerlessness, any negative self criticism or negative "self talk" is groundless. I can cease blaming myself for my child's behaviors. I can cease blaming myself and others for my child's autism.
I don't know why autism has come into our lives. I may never know. And that is ok. I accept it. What ever my Higher Power wants is ok with me. "What ever it is God, I accept it." I am not in charge, so I no longer need to struggle to change reality as it is today. My Higher Power is in charge. My Higher Power is all knowing and all loving. My Higher Power is in perfect care and control of everyone and everything in my life and in the lives of my children. I don't get to choose the story line of my life. I am powerless over it. What a relief. If I am not in charge of managing life and reality, I can let it go and simply accept it as God's will for right now.
I no longer wast time judging if something is good or bad. I suspend all judgements. I am not in control. I can suspend all judgements of what is taking place. What happens today, may appear to be a tragedy. But as I have often seen, what appears to be a horrible disappointing thing today, may turn out to be an incredible blessing tomorrow or the next day. A flat tire on the way to work, prevents a more serious accident where I would have lost my life or been paralysised had that not happened.
When I give up self-will regarding autism, and completely turn our lives over to our Higher Power, we receive all kinds of guidance.
It is impossible to take step three until we have taken the first two steps. In my experience, I need to focus on taking the first three steps, every day and often many times a day. It is especially helpful to work these steps when difficulties arrise as they do in the course of each day. Step Three is "Let go and let God." The impact on my life has been profound.
"To know and to do Your will God. I give up self will and humbly ask for help. I turn my will and my life, others, all things, what happens, my children and their lives, my spouse, all my relationships over to the Care of my H.P., holding nothing back." In Step Three we say in the words of our choosing, that we are now turning everything over to the Care of our Higher Power.
Step Three in a nutshell is: "I can't; God can; I think I'll let God!" The Third Step is deciding that from here on out, we will seek to follow spiritual guidance in making every decision. We now turn our will and our lives over to the Care of our Higher Power. We are no longer in charge of "running the show".
In this "Show" on the Grand Stage of Life, we are not the "Director", we are one of the actors. We don't write the story line. We participate in the story that has been designed and produced by a power greater than we are. We don't get to control the outcome of our lives or the lives of others.
We are not in charge of making sure that every turns out alright for our children, ourselves, or for anyone. We are powerless over the story line of our lives. We don't presume to know what needs to happen next in order for the Greater Good to be the end result. We are not in charge of tomorrow nor yesterday.
We can let go of trying to control every detail of our lives and the lives of others. We quit trying to "play god" it did not work. Each day we begin by turning all people, place and things over to the absolute Care of our Higher Power asking only for God's will to be done and for the ability to carry that out.
Once we have throughly taken the Third Step, we cannot fail to recover. That was certainly true for me. Once I turned all my concerns over to God and left them in God's care, I no longer needed to pretend to control life. I felt an immediate sense of great relief. I was no longer in charge of making sure that my life and the lives of my family members ended happily ever after. That was no longer my job. I let go of trying to "fix" and control. That was no longer my job description. That was now the complete care and responsibility of my Higher Power as I understood my H.P.
In Step Three I let go of my preconceived notions about what needs to happen next. I admit that if I am not in charge, then I don't know what needs to happen next. I don't know what needs to happen next for me or for anyone. God does, already know what needs to happen next in order for the Greater Good to be the end result. I don't have that kind of "Big Picture" vision and wisdom. My Higher Power, as I understand my Higher Power, does have that infinite wisdom and vision.
From now on I earnestly seek the leading and guiding of my Higher Power when faced with any decision in life. I humbly ask for help and ask only for my HP's will to be done and not mine. For some of us this is a whole new attitude. Once this attitude is adopted, we become teachable. We are open to listening for leading and guiding and no longer impulsively or compulsively act according to what we have usually done in the past. We turn the entire situation over to our HP.
When I turn my will and life over to God's Care, I am no longer in charge. When I am no longer in charge and admit my powerlessness, any negative self criticism or negative "self talk" is groundless. I can cease blaming myself for my child's behaviors. I can cease blaming myself and others for my child's autism.
I don't know why autism has come into our lives. I may never know. And that is ok. I accept it. What ever my Higher Power wants is ok with me. "What ever it is God, I accept it." I am not in charge, so I no longer need to struggle to change reality as it is today. My Higher Power is in charge. My Higher Power is all knowing and all loving. My Higher Power is in perfect care and control of everyone and everything in my life and in the lives of my children. I don't get to choose the story line of my life. I am powerless over it. What a relief. If I am not in charge of managing life and reality, I can let it go and simply accept it as God's will for right now.
I no longer wast time judging if something is good or bad. I suspend all judgements. I am not in control. I can suspend all judgements of what is taking place. What happens today, may appear to be a tragedy. But as I have often seen, what appears to be a horrible disappointing thing today, may turn out to be an incredible blessing tomorrow or the next day. A flat tire on the way to work, prevents a more serious accident where I would have lost my life or been paralysised had that not happened.
When I give up self-will regarding autism, and completely turn our lives over to our Higher Power, we receive all kinds of guidance.
