“Faith without works is dead.” AA, p.76
Surrendering, turning it over, trusting our higher power, having faith, letting go. These actions are fundamental in my desire to love life. Seeking the spiritual solution always leads me to greater abundance.
But there’s a balance between giving it to God and getting up off my ass and taking some action.
Too often, especially prior to thoroughly working a program, when things got difficult and I felt overwhelmed I’d give it to God and let it go, when in fact, some action (aka works) was required. God isn’t EVER going to do for me what I can do for myself.
So the question is, how do I know if there’s something I should be “doing,” and if there is, how do I know what “it” is?
By first asking my Higher Power, “Hey God, is there something I should be doing? And, if so, what is it?”
If I don’t intuitively know what to do, and am unsure if I should be doing nothing, I call my sponsor.
A good sponsor will provide clarity in moments if confusion. Mine helps me to distinguish when I’m giving it to God versus evading responsibilities or being lazy. By following my sponsor’s program based direction when I’m not sure what, if anything, I should be doing… ILML!
— JamieQ
12 Step Work 
So good you have found the path !
The one thing that made me pause: God is not ever gonna do for me unless I do something for myself, or something like that.
I feel like that sentiment is in stark contrast do “God doing for me what I could not do for myself”.
Indeed it is a program of action, but it is also a program of grace.
For me anyways, it was not so much that I have to do something for my sobriety today and then God meets me halfway and keeps me sober today. For me that never really worked because I could never tell what halfway wise and, the very truth of it is, I always ended up drinking before I could think about how I was not supposed to be drinking or how I was supposed to be doing something spiritual instead.
The way it was taught time what is that I’m doing the work because I feel obligated because God gave me something that I hardly deserved.
I do the work in mind of others because God gave so freely to me once I gave up trying to do everything for myself.
But, who really knows what makes sense to anyone really. And if that’s what’s working for you then I’m glad for you.
Peace!
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Yes. That’s the beauty of the program. We don’t have to subscribe to anyone else’s interpretation of how to work it or what it means or who God is to us. In fact, I worked the program to the best of my ability for many years without really believing in or having a personal understanding of my higher power, and I still stayed sober. Staying physically sober wasn’t a big deal for me (though i know that’s not the case for many), it was the emotional sobriety I couldn’t get until I really started taking action!
Thanks for being on the path with me!
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