It is said that the first British lunar landing was actually coordinated by NASA, since that agency has so much experience and the British know nothing. So NASA arranged for an American monkey and a Brit to be sent to the moon in a rocket.

Shortly after launch, the monkey opened his instructions and read them. They said:

"Bring the main module in orbit around the moon. Enter the lunar module and deploy to the surface of the moon. Collect rocks from a one-mile radius. Re-enter the lunar module and return to orbiting module."

Then the Brit opened his instructions. They said:

"Don't forget to feed the monkey."

When we work the last three Steps, we find ourselves working with the God of our understanding in the furtherance of our spiritual growth. God -- whatever he, she, it, or they may be -- will do all the heavy lifting. All we need to do is a few simple things each day -- like feeding the monkey. We need to pray and meditate, to take time out for ourselves, to watch ourselves moment by moment, and to engage with the world as it is, rather than the world as we would like it to be.

These are humble tasks. But they are important in that they need to be done every day. Even though God may take care of all the really difficult stuff, we still need to make our simpler contribution a matter of routine.