June 26
Still Nervous
We have considered the choice, talked honestly with someone we trust, and prayed. The decision seems reasonable. Our stomach still objects. We take that uneasiness as evidence that something is missing, and start looking again for the reassurance that will make acting feel entirely safe. A sound decision waits while we try to arrange a different feeling.
Fear may contain information, and it deserves consideration. It is not always a final instruction. Step Three begins with willingness, which is available even when confidence is modest. We can acknowledge the risks we know, make a responsible choice, and admit that we would have preferred a guarantee. God need not remove every flutter before we participate in our own life. The nervousness might settle after we begin, or accompany us for a while. Either way, it does not have to become the only voice permitted to say when we are ready.
What reasonable action am I postponing until I feel completely reassured?
Willingness is present, even with the nerves.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Step Three, pp. 34–35.