March 20: Come, Let Us Return

You made the decision. You prayed the prayer. And then you drank anyway. Does the decision still count?

Hosea’s prophecy is a long story of a people who kept wandering away from God and a God who kept calling them back. In this verse, the people encourage each other: come, let’s return to the Lord. He has torn us, but He will heal us. He has struck us, but He will bind up our wounds.

Come, let’s return. Not “let’s give up.” Not “it’s too late.” Return.

Many people make the Step Three decision with real sincerity, and then drink again. It’s discouraging. You might wonder if your decision was fake, or if God has written you off. Neither is true.

A decision to turn your will and life over to God isn’t undone by one bad day. It’s more like a marriage vow than a light switch. People who make vows still have bad days. They still fail. What makes the vow real isn’t perfection. It’s coming back to it.

So come back. Today. Pray the Third Step prayer again. Tell God what happened. Tell a person what happened. Go to a meeting. Get back on the path. The decision you made still stands, and you can renew it right now.

Hosea’s words are also honest about pain. Consequences of drinking can feel like being torn, struck. Sometimes they are hard. But the same verse says God heals and binds up. The pain isn’t the end of the story. Healing is.

Look honestly at what led to the slip, without beating yourself up. Did you stop praying? Stop calling? Skip meetings? Take back control of something you’d handed over? Those are clues. They point to what needs attention now.

And watch your body if the drinking lasted more than a day or two.

Then return. God is waiting at the door.

One thing today

Pray your Step Three decision again, out loud. Then tell one sober person you slipped and that you’ve recommitted. Go to a meeting this week.

A prayer

Lord, I made a decision and then I drank. I’m coming back. Heal what’s torn. Bind up what’s wounded. I’m turning my life over to You again, today.

If you’re starting over, see help with relapse. This month: Step Three.

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