Fear
“We grow to feel comfortable with our Higher Power as a source of strength. As we
learn to trust this Power, we begin to overcome our fear of life.”
Basic Text, p. 24
Powerless as we are, living on self-will is a frightening, unmanageable experience. In
recovery, we have turned our will and our lives safely over to the care of the God of
our understanding. When we lapse in our program, when we lose conscious contact
with our Higher Power, we begin to take control of our own lives again, refusing the
care of the God of our understanding. If we do not make a daily decision to
surrender our lives to the care of our Higher Power, we may become overwhelmed
with our fear of life.
Through working the Twelve Steps, we’ve found that faith in a Power greater than
ourselves helps relieve our fear. As we draw closer to a loving God, we become more
conscious of our Higher Power. And the more conscious we are of God’s care for us,
the less our fears.
When we feel afraid, we ask ourselves, “Is this fear an indication of a lack of faith in
my life? Have I taken control again, only to find my life still unmanageable?” If we
answer yes to these questions, we can overcome our fear by turning our will and our
lives back over to care of the God of our understanding.
Just for today: I will rely on the care of my Higher Power to relieve my fear of life.