There has been a lot said about step two. One of the most famous, " I came, …. I came to ….., and I came to believe " another is the types that refer to the word Sanity. We many times, laugh this one off. We say things like: well, I had to be insane to drink like that, but we say it with a kind of a tongue in cheek, a bashful smile. Hidden beneath it is the hope, the wish, the certainty, that we're not really insane. And then there are those ominous words in the middle: " a Power greater than our self. Some of us run head long into this idea. Oh, “it's God, I know all about God. I learned about God in church”. Or, we of the other variety, who know nothing of God. We are all too willing to learn. We're ready to accept the wildest ideas. This is mainly because we believe that Our parents, family, friends or other important people (lots of them ); believe these ideas. What I have found over the years is: that step two, being one of the most vital and important steps, is one of the ones that most of us look at and go: " well that is easy” Let me tell you if it is not. This is the foundation that your whole life of soberiety is built on. And a day will surely come, when the pain that made you an alcoholic, will be so great that it will test every piece of sand, every piece of wire, every piece rebar, you have used in that foundation. Even if you revert to some childhood religion, you will need to be sure that in face of great or prolonged suffering, it is enough. For in that moment, you will ask that question; that every alcoholic consciously or unconsciously ask in that darkest hour. Where is God? Is there a God. And does it make HIM a “tinkers damn” that this God of my understanding, understands. If you find he doesn’t help on a terrestrial level, If he cannot give you spiritual or mental help. If He, She or It does nothing, what makes you think He can save your immortal soul? Spirituality is easy when ever thing it is OK. Or, it is new to you and you have not tested it. Spirituality is challenging when things get rough. But when your bones turned to dust as you yet breathe, Spirituality is mashed, twisted and pulled into to microscopic proportions in the crucible that is the alcoholic mind. For most people believing in God is like believing in Santa, all without expecting the presents. They can at least believe there is certainly a spirit of Christmas. The God that most people worship, they don't really have to think about too much. That can give him credit for every good thing and blame the old devil for every bad thing. But not so, for alcoholics. Or, at least not for most alcoholics. We ask questions like: If God is so good and perfect, How did He let a thing like Satan occur? If He is all powerful, all loving, and all merciful why does He let so many innocents suffer so terribly? If God did not think I should live a certain way, Why did He make me with all these burning desires, wants, and needs? I was a Baptist from birth. I was a good Baptist. I knew the doctrine. I studied and I listened. The churches that I went to were not hell fire and damnation. Most of them preached a historical message or exegesis. But I still became so confused by the double talk, that is inherent in a fundamentalist view of the Bible; that, as a result, I began to doubt God. Many are the night that I passed out on the floor, having been praying on my knees for God to remove the desire to drink from me. When I got to AA, I told of First guy who would listen me, that there was no way I could buy Step 2 and 3. He did a wonderful thing for me. He said don't worry about that God stuff. He said make this group your higher power. He pointed out that they were staying sober and I was not. And that they could show me how to stay sober; if I would let them. Actually higher powers like the police and prison guards could keep me sober even if I didn't want them to. But there was an easier way. I think most of us will be disappointed in spiritual this Santa Claus type God. when the chips are down. The organization of Alcoholics Anonymous, the steps and the program are all a power much greater than yourself. This is why step to comes before step 3. I personally do not believe that you're ready to confront the God of your understanding or to find the God of your understanding, until you have worked the steps and become a part of Alcoholics Anonymous. I know that may sound little silly, because step 3 is a part of the steps. But this is the difference between religion and spirituality. When I first worked step 3 with my sponsor. I was told to throw out everything I knew about God, except what I knew when I was a small boy and of about four years old. At 4 years old I was told that God is love. My sponsor said I could believe that ( God is Love), but only in the most abstract sense. I said, " so that is the definition of God ", she said no, you stupid idiot. That is the area in which you can start to build a spiritual understanding of your own personal God. With that we launched into a program of vigorous action. We did four through 12, without flashing lights or bells ringing or miracles falling from the skies, we did the steps. Sometimes we did the steps over and over till I got it right. But, as it says is a step 12, as a result of the steps, I had a spiritual awakening. As a result of that spiritual awakening and a practice of prayer and meditation, I found a God of my own understanding. And though I believe that my God was the creator and is part of all that IS, he bears little likenesses to the God you hear about in church. This is not to say you may not wind up with the God of your understanding being that God that you grew up with. God has to do with faith. Faith has to do with the experience. And only you can interpret how you experienced your life and your God.