“Our inability to surrender had always blocked the effective entry of a Higher Power into our lives.”

– Life with Hope, first edition, page 11

Surrender is:
The sweet bliss of letting go…and letting God,
What I remember when I’m in a lot of pain,
Usually my last resort,
The result of practicing the Third Step,
Something I need to practice over, and over, and over.

The first time I practiced a formal Third Step was the first time I surrendered. I was in my first year of recovery and I honestly believed I would only have to do the Third Step once. The feeling of surrender was much better than getting high, and I thought that I had found nirvana, that I would be happy and serene for the rest of my life.

Then life happened; I woke up the next day and had to do it again! This was the beginning of learning discipline, that awful word I had hated before recovery, but which has become an important part of my recovery. I need to practice the principles of this program every day. Daily practice takes discipline. I’ve learned that life is much easier if I do a Third Step every day (or even more often). I offer my will and my life to my Higher Power every day and ask to be shown what I should do.

When I surrender, I acknowledge that I’m not in charge. I know that I am happier and more serene when I let go of needing to be in charge, and I learn to trust in my Higher Power’s will for me. Through daily effort, I come closer to understanding what my Higher Power wants to reveal to me.

Final thought: I offer my will and my life to my Higher Power every day and ask to be shown what I should do.