What is it that I can 'do' differently today in order to 'feel' better?

• Ask God to guide and direct my thinking
• Accept that no matter how long I stay sober, there are some people who may never really trust me
• Pray for forgiveness in my heart
• Let go of my need to be in control
• Repeat over and over "Thy will, not mine be done"
• Do the next indicated action and not concern myself with the outcome
• Lower my expectations
• Remember to keep sobriety my number one priority
• Trust that God is in charge
• Expect nothing except a miracle

I'm not thinking about drinking. My automatic first thought amongst turmoil is how good a drink sounds. But that first thought is just a big fat lie. I have learned that I am not responsible for that first thought, but I am responsible for my next action. I don't believe everything I think anymore.

"Love and tolerance are our code"

Believing is the beginning of anything we accomplish in our life. If we don't believe something is possible, we usually won't even bother to try it. If you want to change, you have to first believe that you can change. That's what Step Two is all about. In Step One we admit that we have to make a change...in Step Two we believe that such a change is possible. If you don't believe you can change, you won't.

Many people confuse belief and faith. But faith and belief are very different. Belief comes before an action or decision...faith only comes afterward, as the result of an action or decision. There is a huge difference between just believing in something and knowing it, having genuine faith in it.

I heard a great illustration of this difference in a Big Book study. Suppose you've just moved to a new town where you do not know anyone. Your car needs repairs and you don't know where to take it to get fixed. You introduce yourself to your neighbors and ask them if they know of a good mechanic in town. They recommend a fellow named Frank. "Frank does good honest work and we've been taking our cars there for years." So you decide to take your car to Frank.

Now you've never met Frank, and you've only known the neighbors who recommended him for a few minutes. But you decide to take your car to Frank because you believe that your neighbor is telling the truth. You don't have faith in Frank yet, only belief. But that belief is enough for you to make a decision and take action.

So Frank works on your car, fixes it correctly and promptly, and charges a fair price. You are pleased with the work done, so when you have another problem with your car a year or so later, you take it back to him for repair. This time, though, you're going back to Frank on faith, not just on belief. You have faith he can fix your car well, based on your actual experience.

In Step Two, we come to believe in the possibility of change and in the possibility of a Power that can make that change happen. In Step Three, we make a decision based on that belief. Today I have faith in that Power because I was willing to believe and made a decision to take action. That faith is not based on any hope or wish, but on my own actual experience. But I couldn't get to that faith, without choosing to believe first.

"Belief is the cause of our actions...faith is their result."