Surrender Versus Submission

January, being the first month of the year warrants a blog entry regarding Step 1.

“We admitted that we were powerless over our use of substances or behaviors - and that our lives had become unmanageable.”

The key to allowing God to relieve you from your self-imposed prison, is to fully surrender yourself to God. Anything less than 100% is not surrender, but submission. Some people use these words in different ways, but for our purposes, submission is anything less than a 100% admission of powerlessness. If we reserve even 1% of our ability to repair the mess that our lives have become, we are only submitting to get out of trouble, and risk relapse into reactivation of our disease.

Pretty much everyone who has admitted to having an addiction, most likely has tried to quit or modify their use of the drug that they find controlling them. Repeated attempts eventually lead us to a point where we must admit that absolutely nothing we can do on our own will relieve us from the burden of our self-will. We finally get to the place where our lives are so unmanageable that surrender is the last choice left. So, you, desperately choose it. 

“God, take away my addiction! I need to be a better person. My life is ruined!” 

Sincere, repeated, crying till a snot bubble comes out of your nose, begging for God to fix things, and… 

…Nothing. You still use. Why?

Look at that prayer. Now look at the step, and then the prayer again. What is missing? You were willing to admit that your life had become unmanageable, but had failed to admit powerlessness. You were telling God your plans, and asking Him to carry them out.

It doesn’t work that way.

You MUST, every day, for the rest of your life, admit 100% powerlessness over your drug of choice. That’s the only thing that has to be done 100%, and then resign your position from the committee to control your addiction. Once you sincerely, and completely do that, God lovingly steps in. Try a prayer like this:

Father, I come to you a broken mess because I try to run my own life with my plan. My drug has taken over my life, and is ruining it. I cannot fix the chaos I’ve created. I surrender my life to you and ask only that your will be done through me. If it is your will, please take this from me. But in all of my life from this moment on, your will, not mine, be done. AMEN

Now THAT’S surrender.

Let the healing begin!

Peace, 

Don