3 of 12: A Dozen Days of Twelve Step Concepts

Welcome to the third of a series of twelve exploring the interpretation of the original Twelve Step Program as it is used in Overeaters Anonymous.  Please refer to the previous parts of this series for background and for links to resources.

Let's begin!

Step Three, adapted for compulsive overeaters by author of Compulsive Overeater,1981, Bill B, reads thusly:  

"Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him."

Image resource:  https://hymnary.org

Once one humbly and honestly honors the situation s/he is in with the vexing behavior, then reverently recognizes that s/he is actually not without prospect of restoration, the choice to avail oneself of the care-taking God offers - and yielding to His leadership - is natural.  It is an act of volition to relent one's own agenda and rely on the One who can fix things.  It is a courageous act, and a crucial one.  When we learn that we will never master ourselves in and of ourselves, we reach to the Master.

Bill B's way of conceptualizing God seems more like building a god (little "g" intended) to suit oneself, which seems arrogant and misplaced in this journey of humbly seeking help from a "Power greater than ourselves."  If I am to believe in Someone as the Sovereign Authority, to trust Him to be big enough and wise enough to lord over my life, I don't want Him to be something I've invented.  Further, since I have "accepted myself the way I am," it serves me well to "accept God the way God is."

Before you think this means I'm going to bash you for believing God is different from my understanding of Him, relax - I've already established that freedom of faith and belief was one of the most important reasons I served in the military, so I must have a pretty significant stance on that freedom.  Part of that freedom, however, was my own; and as the old Hymn goes, I Know Whom I Have Believed.

Bill B. states that Step Three is "the step of trust."  He states, "There is a big difference between belief and trust...having trust is more than just acknowledging God's existence.  Having trust is being willing to allow God's existence to overshadow one's own existence."  Further, he admonishes, "Believe in a God who is trustworthy, and that God will never fail you." 

Real hurts in our history and confusion over calamities in the world can muddy the waters and add painful connotations to concepts of God, of Father, of Lord.  If your earthly parents or other guardians were cruel, negligent, or unreliable in any way, the idea of trusting a Loving Father may feel loathsome to you.  You may have anger, fear, or other trust issues tangling your heart's strings, and you are not alone if this is the case.  My heart hurts for your heart.  God's does too; and He can be trusted.

Jotting with Johnna:

• What emotions arise when you think of trusting God with your wellness quest and with the remains of your endeavors?
• Can you remember specific events in your life that perhaps informed your reaction?
• If you were able to revise your perspective, now that you have moved forward in life, how might you come to a place of trust?

Remember:
You are so very worthy of love and leadership that seeks your best life.  John 10:10 recognizes that there is an enemy whose ambition is to "steal, kill, and destroy;" but there is a Hero in Jesus whose aim is "that you might have life, and have it to the full."  No matter what the enemy has done to destroy your belief, your hope, your trust, you can count on the Hero Jesus is.

Stay tuned.  Stay focused.  Stay well.