The Twelve Steps and Lent: Step 3
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Turning our will and our lives over = Giving up control (or the illusion of control).
When we were young, we had no choice. Other people had control over us. The big people. We were not volunteers. We were enlisted. Other people made the rules and the rules (contrary to current thought) were to be adhered to. Then came your teens and one form or another of hell broke loose and you wanted to rebel (even if only the teensiest bit) against doing what someone else prescribed. From adolescence through early adulthood, the exploration of creating our own rules, own parameters, growing into our independence. We are the center of our universe- we make the rules, we break the rules, we make new rules. As we age, some of us deepen our conviction that our way is the correct way..... even if it is destructive....and we mistake "our way" with the best way.
Making the decision to turn your will and your life over to God is the kind of step the Outward Bound people take. All those exercises in trust: being led blindfolded through a dangerous wooded area or encouraged to go rock climbing when you have a fear of heights. Even standing on the edge of a high platform with your arms criss crossed over your chest and then leaning back for a free-fall into the waiting arms of a dozen people below.
Turning our lives and our will over to our Higher Power helps us embrace a Christian truth - we are not alone and we are and will always be (to one level or another) dependent on others. Perhaps, just perhaps, if that sinks into the core of our being we will become a kinder, more gentle people. The envelope of our lives is sealed in the envelope of greater life - the living Love of God. Deciding to trust in that, my dear friends, and the consequence of greater life and love may well be worth the risk and give us a renewed sense of hope and trust in others.
Turning our will and our lives over = Giving up control (or the illusion of control).
When we were young, we had no choice. Other people had control over us. The big people. We were not volunteers. We were enlisted. Other people made the rules and the rules (contrary to current thought) were to be adhered to. Then came your teens and one form or another of hell broke loose and you wanted to rebel (even if only the teensiest bit) against doing what someone else prescribed. From adolescence through early adulthood, the exploration of creating our own rules, own parameters, growing into our independence. We are the center of our universe- we make the rules, we break the rules, we make new rules. As we age, some of us deepen our conviction that our way is the correct way..... even if it is destructive....and we mistake "our way" with the best way.
Making the decision to turn your will and your life over to God is the kind of step the Outward Bound people take. All those exercises in trust: being led blindfolded through a dangerous wooded area or encouraged to go rock climbing when you have a fear of heights. Even standing on the edge of a high platform with your arms criss crossed over your chest and then leaning back for a free-fall into the waiting arms of a dozen people below.
Turning our lives and our will over to our Higher Power helps us embrace a Christian truth - we are not alone and we are and will always be (to one level or another) dependent on others. Perhaps, just perhaps, if that sinks into the core of our being we will become a kinder, more gentle people. The envelope of our lives is sealed in the envelope of greater life - the living Love of God. Deciding to trust in that, my dear friends, and the consequence of greater life and love may well be worth the risk and give us a renewed sense of hope and trust in others.
posted by Joanna Depue | 11:54 PM
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