AA sponsorship Question
 

I will have 2 yrs of being clean in January. I continue AA meetings and continue to work the steps. Tonight at one of my meetings someone asked if i could be a sponsor. I told them the honest truth, I was not ready. How long do i need to wait, i feel i am completing the last few steps. Any feedback will be great feedback. Love ya guys.:gaah

That part is irrelevant. Have you had a spiritual awakening as the result of the Steps? Can you take somebody through the book and show them the directions for doing the same? If so, take it into prayer and meditation and the right answer will come.

If this were me, I would take the question to my own sponsor and see what she has to say.

Hard to answer, but I agree that talking to you sponsor is the best route. I will have 6 months next week, and my sponsor is anxious to get me through to the maintenance steps because she feels I need to start sponsoring people. I am not sure about it, but trust her and her judgment. ..and know that i need to give back what i have been given. Prayer and meditation on the issue can never be a bad thing either!

that probably would have been one of my first questions too.

my sponsor is "pushing" a lil for me to be in the position to sponsor people as well, she says the first year is yours, and after that time to step up to the plate.
In my own mind I dont know if I'd do good at it...........but then I also know how "my" mind operates.
I would think prayer and meditation should help with your answer on this

Just something to think about...... :
How long do you think you can stay sober (physically, mentally,and spiritually) withOUT "intensive work with another alcoholic?"

Perhaps you haven't completed ALL the steps (don't feel too bad, it took me over 3 years before I finally got current with every amend I was aware of) but that doesn't mean you can't carry the AA message of recovery ....... perhaps you've done the work, have some contact with the power that's keeping you sober, and just said "no" out of fear or selfishness??

There's no way to answer your question directly without a lot more information (which your sponsor should be able to provide). Speak to your sponsor but, most importantly, speak to your HP and find out your Truth.

I just had the same question for my sponsor. I recently took on a service commitment at a recovery house in my local area and when in speaking to my mother in-law (she has 13 years of recovery) about it she told that chances are that someone will ask me to be there sponsor. This scared me, I felt as I don't have enough time yet (11 months), that I'm not ready because I haven't completed all my steps and that I don't have enough knowledge yet; meaning that I don't know enough about the program. In speaking with my sponsor he gave me some very good insight, he said to me "John, you can only give a sponsee what you have and already know. There will always be things that you don't have the answer for. Simply tell him that you do not know the answer to his question and tell him you'll get back to him, but never lie to him." Then he went on to tell me not to worry if a sponsee goes back out again, its not your responsibility to keep them sober. The point of sponsorship from my understanding is to give away this precious gift that was so freely given to us, that gift being sobriety and ths program. Sponsorship in my opinion is also a way to keep our own sobriety as we are taking on a new commitment. I've only got 11 month and very little wisdom of the program, but its a hell of a lot more than someone on day 1. I hope this helps you out. Congrats on your 2 years, that's a hell of an accomplishment in my opinion.

I would be guided by my sposnor on this one...

That's awesome BKP... you have what someone else wants! Fantastic! All you have to do is show her what you did... right?

You know what they say... You gotta give it away to keep it!

You've already been given some great responses here...Prayer, mediation, speaking with your sponsor....What comes to my mind is...you must have something this person wants and God is giving you a gift by putting this person in your life to work with...Our responsibility creed states "When anyone anywhere reaches out for help I want the hand of AA to be there and for that I am responsible"

So the question here is are you willing to be of service to God and be responsible?
For me that respnsibility is the ability to put my gratitude into action and what better way to do so than to pass on what has been given to me...by guiding another thru the steps & the book the way another guided me thru them.

I agree, discuss this with your sponsor, especially as you are not sure