Sponsorship - A Two Way Street?

[francie21805]

How , in your experience , do you believe "sponsorship is a two
way street" works ? Or do you believe it's a two way street?

[clean42day]

I beleive it is a two way street - because in order to help a sponsee to the best of my ability - I have to stay spiritually fit myself. There are many times that I pause and pray for guidance before I advise or make suggestions to a sponsee. I cannot pass on the steps that I worked - if I am not still continueing to work them. Plus whenever I take a sponsee through the steps - I get some growth myself from that kind of service work.

The 12th step requires me to pass it on in order to keep it. If I get one more day clean as a result of working with a sponsee - I have recieved a gift and that is a two way street. I have never had a relationship with a sponsee where I did not in some way grow from the experience or was spiritually touched in some way.

My sponsee's continuue to make me grow in other areas by keeping me on my toes in relation to checking my own codapendency. I actually learn from them - what I myself also teach.....hmmmm funny how that works. It is a gift to watch a person come into thier best self in this program. I am only a vessel - to carry a message. I put in the effort and God takes care of the outcome.

being a sponsor also keeps me accountable to my own suggestions too. if I can't live it into my life - I certainly can't role model it for my sponsees now can I?

I do not step outside of the realm of my sponsorship experience and advise on medical issues, marriage issues, nor legal issues. My job as a sponsor is to help a person navigate the steps, make program suggestions, and share my ESH, not run their life or tell them what to do.

I also have no problem saying to a sponsee - "I have no experience with that particular issue....and lets find out together who does. Ultimatley sponsees must make thier own decisions in order to learn to trust themselves....and they must have their own experiences with mistakes too. Watching that process unfold also teaches me to trust and have faith in something greater than us both.

my sponsor taught me a long time ago - she said "Gail my job is to be a bridge between you and God, I will take you through the steps and place your hand in his and when that bridge is complete - I will step out of the way and your relationship with your HP is what will ultimatly guide you the rest of your life. That is what I try to do with my own sponsee's. I help them to access thier own relationship with their creator - so they can trust themselves to pay it forward to someone else.

just my experience

light and love

Gail



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[zoomie]

My sponcer told me that we travel the road together.