The third step states: “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.” The first question that pops into people’s head is “How?” You needn’t worry. In step 3 you are asked only to make the decision. Steps 4-9 are the action steps. Then steps 10-12 are the maintenance steps. Yet, you don’t really want to have to “get through” all your steps to feel the relief of “turning it over.” One of my favorite tools for “Letting Go and Letting God” in the here and now is A God Box. Having a God Box allows you to make God the CEO of your life!

Whenever you are really troubled by something, pissed at someone, or have a big fear/ decision/event to face; get it down on paper and put it in your God Box. The act of writing puts your situation into form and the act of placing it in your God box is a “letting go,” a “surrender.” Remember, you don’t need to write the great american novel. If you are obsessing about an ex boyfriend, you don’t need to jot down every injustice he ever committed. God knows the whole saga. You might simply write his name on a slip of paper and place it in your God Box.

Now let’s take a look at dreams and goals. While, the steps teach us not to pray for what we want but to pray to do God’s will for us, let’s not kid ourselves. We still want what we want! Btw, I am a big believer that when we have dreams dear to our hearts God likely has a hand in that and wants them for us, too. A great prayer to put in your God box concerning dreams and goals is: “Dear God, I really want xyz. If you want xyz for me, too, please make my path clear.”

Human beings love to figure things out, know the future and protect against being hurt. Or at least we think we do. You could spend an entire day wondering if you will stay married forever, meet the right person, lose the weight, be successful in your career, get sick and the list goes on and on. Wouldn’t life be more peaceful and loving if you could let go of this chatter? Yes. So get out your paper and write: “Dear God, I give to you my relationship (or lack there of), my children, my body, my career, and on and on.” and place it in your God Box.

An aside, I have heard people share looking in their God boxes after a year and reading the notes. Many say, “I cannot believed was so worried about that! It never came to pass.” Or, “I don’t even remember being troubled about that.” or “I am so not angry with that person any more.” The point is, the things we worry about usually have a natural conclusion that all our fussing will not bring about any quicker. The relief comes from giving them to God and trusting things will work out exactly as they are supposed to in God’s World and in God’s time!