Step 3
April 11, 2010 at 11:52 pm 2 comments
“Decide to turn your will and your life over to God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.”
Given what we are asked to do in Step 2, Step 3 seems rather natural. Still, our wills are funny things. We might be completely convinced of something intellectually, even emotionally, but when it comes to actually doing something (in case, giving in to something bigger than ourselves), we crumble. This is why diets and exercise plans so frequently fail. Everyone knows that getting up and going for a 40-minute run in the morning is better than sleeping in, and that, in the long run (no pun intended) the 40 minutes of exercise will make the,=m happier and healthier, but, when given the choice, most of us choose sleeping in.
What I love about The Atonement of Jesus Christ is its infiniteness. No matter how many times I try to “turn my will over to God,” but then take it back, the same rules apply. No matter how many times I have to start over, I am given the same Welcome-Home party. I need lots of “do-overs.”
I’ve always been a fan of Zen koans. For this reason, the Beatitudes hold a special place in my heart (not that all of Christ’s teaching don’t hold a special place…) because of their koan-like qualities. It is so counterintuitive to say, “He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” Yet, that is exactly the solution Step 3 offers, and that is exactly always the solution. By ourselves, we are really only good at one thing and that is distancing ourselves from God. When left completely to my own devices, I land myself in spiritual peril rather quickly. But, our minds tell us that we are capable of finding the way on our own.
In many ways, the Plan of Salvation is an exercise in doing what is not immediately intuitive (from an intellectual standpoint). This is includes submitting ourselves to the “will of the Lord” rather than fighting to find our own way.
Entry filed under: Religion. Tags: 12 Steps, Atonement, Faith, Forgiveness, God, Jesus Christ, LDS, LDS Church, Religion, Repentance, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
1. Nick Winters | April 16, 2010 at 10:54 am
I like the way you phrased that. Something else that seems counter-intuitive is that agency is the one thing God cannot take away from us. But once we choose to give it to him, there is no limit what we can do.
2. Sarah | April 19, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Amen! Sometimes it’s easy to say that my will is God’s will, but it is, in fact, not that easy. Doing is MUCH harder than saying.
I also appreciate Nick’s comment as well… because it is true that there isn’t a limit to what we can do when our will is aligned with God’s.