I know for me, in my recovery, it has been vital to have a sponsor/s, and also to sponsor others in recovery.
I was reading through NOMOMERLOTMAMMA's thread on input in regards to her sponsor and I realized that early in my recovery, I tended to put those with more recovery than me up on a pedestal, especially sponsors.
I now have something I hand out to any potential sponsees, and this was passed on to me from a dear friend who participates in another 12 step program, and it was passed on to her, and so on
It's been an excellent guideline to help me stay consistent in my sponsorship, and also lets the sponsee know what I look for the relationship to be between sponsor and sponsee.
I just wanted to share it with all of you.
"As your Sponsor...
I will not help you to stay and wallow in limbo.
I will help you to grow, to become more productive, by your definition.
I will help you become more autonomous, more loving of yourself, more excited, less sensitive, more free to become the authority for your own living.
I cannot give you dreams or "fix you up" simply because I cannot.
I cannot give you growth, or grow for you. You must grow for yourself by facing reality, grim as it may be at times.
I cannot take away your loneliness or your pain.
I cannot sense your world for you, evaluate your goals for you, tell you what is best for your world; because you have your own world in which you must live.
I cannot convince you of the necessity to make the vital decision of choosing the frightening uncertainty of growing over the safe misery of remaining static.
I want to be with you and know you as a rich and growing friend; yet I cannot get close to you when you choose not to grow.
When I begin to care for you out of pity or when I begin to lose faith in you, then I am inhibiting both for you and for me.
You must know and understand my help is conditional. I will be with you and "hang in there" with you so long as I continue to get even the slightest hint that you are still trying to grow.
If you can accept this, then perhaps we can help each other to become what God meant us to be, mature adults, leaving childishness forever to the little children of the world."