I have had the privilege of working with many people in Alcoholics Anonymous. I have worked with all walks of life: male and female, rich and poor, young and old, believers and non believers, Christians, Jews and Muslims. I do the same thing with everyone - I always have the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous between them and me. I simply open the book and we begin reading at the preface. As we read the book we discuss the material. I don't change anything for anyone. The solution, a vital spiritual experience, is the solution regardless of what their problem may be in addition to their addiction. Obviously, if a person has mental problems then additional help is necessary for them. I never tell anyone what they must do - I just follow the material and incorporate the Twelve Steps as we move through it all: A practice that can be replicated by anyone.
I know that my behavior is being observed. Not just whether I can "talk the talk" but more importantly can I "walk the walk". Am I practicing the principles of AA? In the forward of The Twelve And Twelve it says, "The twelve steps are a group of principles, spiritual in nature, which if practiced as a way of life can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole."
The following is what my sponsees see in me: I am responsible. When asked to take someone through the book of Alcoholics Anonymous, I say yes. I never consider whether I have enough time... I simply just make it work. There isn't a greater exercise one can participate in than to help another recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. Nothing. We meet once a week for an hour and I only cancel if I have an
urgent family matter or if I am doing step work with another. My
emotional state
rarely, if ever, changes one week to the next as I am serene and at
peace. I never prepare for a meeting as I am dependent upon and
trusting in God. Again, I never tell another what they must do as it is
their recovery. It is their relationship with God. I am the example, not the taskmaster.I know that my behavior is being observed. Not just whether I can "talk the talk" but more importantly can I "walk the walk". Am I practicing the principles of AA? In the forward of The Twelve And Twelve it says, "The twelve steps are a group of principles, spiritual in nature, which if practiced as a way of life can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole."
When we live this life in AA we become happily and usefully whole. Let us share in this legacy.
Written by Armand
Edited by Caitlin Alexandra
I can attest to every word you've iterated regarding sponsorship in general, and your sponsorship in particular. The walk and the talk are one and the same in you as a person and in you as a sponsor. One additional thought: an effective Big Book sponsor bases his sponsorship on reading the book, page by page with the one being sponsored. In that manner, The Big Book is really doing the talking, and the sponsor is doing the guiding and the modeling for a sober and spiritual life. In that effort, one sponsor begets another sponsor who begets another and so on. This is a vital component of the Program of Recovery as I understand it. The focus is simple, the focus is central, the results are consistent. The method of sponsorship outlined above has made "the work" identifiable and the process viable. It represents the essence of a spiritual solution to a spiritual problem.
ReplyDeleteMichael thank you for your constant support, as a friend and of A Ladder to Above and for your kind words today my friend...Armand
ReplyDeleteThis Comment Is From A Grateful Recovering Alcoholic
ReplyDeleteArmand,
One of the greatest blessings received and fondest memories recalled is to have been present when you first came to believe that God Himself is the ultimate author of the 12 steps of AA and then bear witness as you received Him and the Gift to confidently confirm to others that the yearnings of every heart consumed by desperation, fear and trepidation can only be satisfied by a true spiritual conversion. The gift you received to fully apprehend God's revelation, that He personally and continuously reaches out to each and every one of His errant children with fiery passion and boundless love, no matter how far we have strayed from His Light, opened the door to the ultimate and ongoing gift and revelation that He desires that all be joint "sponsor's" of that plan.
I often pass by the small stone chapel where your miracle and ministry began and fondly recall that day we furtively entered. I knew the doors are rarely if ever open and its seldom if ever used, but that one day it was unlocked, warm and full of life. There truly are no coincidences in life. We were there by Divine appointment. Over time I watched as you took up His call with complete abandon. He has used your unique personality, talents, culture and experiances as an inspiration to a great many others desperately seeking the only true release from the seemingly inescapable internal prison of self.
My witness to that event and the continuing miraculous reality of its effects are as clear today as it was many years ago. The world is a far better place because you said yes to His invitation and have been faithful and true to His call. May He continue to richly bless His children through the ministry He has provided them through you and may you continue to recall and share His glorious intervention until you finally meet Him, face to face.,,
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic.
A Gratefully Recovering Alcoholic In that moment and in that place we shared a moment that bonds us forever...Thank you...Armand
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