Step 3: “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”
For Enneagram Type 7 (The Enthusiast), Step Three at Surrender School is about surrendering the desire for constant stimulation and freedom, and trusting in the guidance of a Higher Power. Type 7s often avoid discomfort or boredom by seeking new experiences or pleasures, which can lead to overeating as a way to escape difficult emotions. Step Three invites Type 7s to turn their will and lives over to a Higher Power, trusting that true freedom and fulfillment come from divine guidance rather than endless seeking.
Here’s how a Type 7 can work Step Three:
Release the Fear of Missing Out:
Type 7s often struggle with FOMO (fear of missing out), which can lead to impulsive eating or overindulgence. Step Three encourages them to surrender this fear to their Higher Power, trusting that they will be provided with what they truly need.
By trusting their Higher Power, Type 7s can find contentment and peace in the present moment.
- Reflection question: “How has my fear of missing out influenced my eating habits, and how can trusting my Higher Power help me find contentment?”
Embrace Discomfort as a Path to Growth:
Type 7s often avoid discomfort by seeking pleasure or distraction, which can include using food as a coping mechanism. Step Three invites them to trust that their Higher Power can guide them through discomfort, leading to greater growth and resilience.
By surrendering their need to escape discomfort, Type 7s can develop healthier coping strategies and deeper emotional strength.
- Reflection question: “How has my avoidance of discomfort affected my relationship with food, and how can trusting my Higher Power help me face challenges with courage?”
Let Go of the Need for Excess:
Type 7s often equate abundance with happiness, leading to overeating or indulging in excess. Step Three encourages them to trust their Higher Power to provide what is truly fulfilling, rather than seeking satisfaction in overindulgence.
By turning their will over to their Higher Power, Type 7s can find joy and fulfillment in moderation and simplicity.
- Reflection question: “How has my pursuit of excess affected my eating habits, and how can trusting my Higher Power help me find joy in simplicity?”
Trust That Freedom Comes From Surrender:
Type 7s often seek freedom through independence and avoidance of restrictions, but this can lead to feeling ungrounded or overwhelmed. Step Three invites them to trust that true freedom comes from surrendering to their Higher Power, who provides structure and guidance.
By surrendering, Type 7s can find a sense of freedom that is grounded in trust and purpose.
- Reflection question: “How has my pursuit of freedom through avoidance affected my life, and how can trusting my Higher Power help me find true freedom and peace?”
Summary:
For Type 7s, working Step Three involves surrendering their need for constant stimulation, avoidance of discomfort, and pursuit of excess to a Higher Power. By trusting in divine guidance, Type 7s can find deeper joy, peace, and fulfillment in the present moment, rather than constantly seeking external pleasures. This step helps them embrace balance, courage, and trust in their Higher Power’s plan.
Want to go deeper?
Explore Going Deeper: Type 7, Step 3
Living Freer
Step Three asks something specific of a Seven: hand over not just their will, but their exit strategy. Sevens rarely commit to anything — even their own healing — without quietly keeping an escape route in view, just in case it gets too hard, too boring, or too limiting. Turning life over to a Higher Power means letting go of that backup plan entirely, trusting that the road ahead doesn’t need a hidden off-ramp to be survivable. This is less about giving up freedom and more about discovering that real freedom was never in the exit — it was always meant to be found in staying.
Freedom From
- The hidden escape hatch kept ready behind every commitment
- Fear of missing out driving decisions about food, people, and plans
- The belief that surrender means being trapped somewhere boring or painful
- Needing a plan B before trusting a plan at all
- The habit of testing life’s exits instead of settling into it
Freedom To
- Make a real decision and let it be real, without a hidden exit
- Trust that a Higher Power can hold what discomfort a Seven can’t outrun
- Let a dull stretch of road pass without reaching for the door
- Discover that staying can feel safer than leaving
- Let go of FOMO as the compass for daily choices
Why This Matters
For a Seven, surrender has always sounded like a trap — why hand over the wheel to something that might drive somewhere dull? But the fear of missing out has been steering the car all along, often straight toward the refrigerator. Turning will and life over to a Higher Power interrupts that steering for the first time. It matters because a Seven who still keeps an exit in view hasn’t actually surrendered anything; they’ve just found a subtler way to stay in control. Letting the escape hatch go is what finally makes room for real trust to grow.
Step Three Invitation
Pick one small commitment this week — a meal, a meeting, a conversation — and follow through on it fully, without scanning for a way out partway through.
Prayer for Step Three
Higher Power, I have always kept one hand on the door. Help me turn my will over fully, trusting that you don’t need my exit strategy to keep me safe. Let me find freedom in staying, not in leaving.