We came to trust that Reality itself was already holding us, and that by relaxing our grip, we could be brought back into balance.

Step Two begins where Step One leaves off. After admitting that self-will is not enough, many of us are left with a simple, unsettling question: If I’m not the one holding everything together, then what is? Most of us have spent a long time believing it was all up to us.

Step Two doesn’t ask us to answer this right away. It invites us to notice what is already happening. Breath continues. Life moves on. The world doesn’t collapse when we loosen our grip. Something has been carrying us long before we learned how to manage everything on our own.

For many of us, this noticing comes before belief. We begin to see that we are supported in ordinary ways—by the rhythm of the day, by other people, by moments of ease that arrive without effort. These small recognitions gently question the idea that we are the sole source of strength, clarity, or care.

Many of us carry a subtle fear that we are not worthy of Love, and so we spend our lives trying to deserve it. Step Two doesn’t ask us to fix that fear. It simply invites us to notice it—and to discover, through experience, that Love is still here when we stop trying.

For some of us, this loving Reality is what we later come to call God. For others, that word may not fit, or may take time. Step Two doesn’t require us to settle this. What matters is the shift from believing we must carry life alone to allowing ourselves to be held by something larger than our own will.

Many of us have complicated relationships with the word “God.” Some were hurt by religion. Some were taught images of God that felt judging or distant. Step Two makes room for all of this. It asks only that we stay open to the possibility that Reality itself is not indifferent or hostile, but loving.

Trust in Step Two isn’t blind belief. It grows slowly, through experience. As we notice where Love is already present, our grip begins to soften. Life may not become easier, but it becomes less heavy—because we’re no longer trying to carry it alone.

This step is about openness, not certainty. We don’t need to know what we believe yet. We only need to be willing to question the idea that self-will is the only option.

Over time, Step Two helps us rest a little more. We begin to sense that Love is available—even when we don’t fully understand it. And we start to feel less alone.