On Sponsorship
I heartily support your line “…the fact remains that we could make a significant spiritual breakthrough were we to submit to the direction [of a sponsor] and carry it out without questioning.” That’s the key. Until I started doing that (and I only did that because I was desperate, and had begun to see the point) my self-will had me still in its grip. And it’s my self-will that leads me inevitably back to acting out, in some new guise or other. I have learned that my perceptions of my sponsor turn out to be exactly the issues I need to be inventorying in myself. He, more than anyone else in this wonderful fellowship, has the power to be a mirror to me of my own defects, because I chose him! When I find myself beginning to take his inventory instead of my own is when I know I have reached a new threshold on this road of progressive victory over lust. I can submit and break through that threshold, or retreat and wait until the pain gets even worse. The paradox has been that in submitting to direction in the area of lust, I get to enjoy new freedom, it seems, in countless other areas, and life becomes a celebration.
I.R.
[The Essay subscription order form now includes a section where members can comment on the Essay. The following are representative of the comments received to date. Ed.]
New York: Reading the Essay has helped me to understand the fundamentals of the program…
Germany: Very helpful, keeps me on track and informed with new developments and ideas.
California: It’s good—keep it close to God and the Steps and it’ll stay that way.
Wisconsin: I can’t say enough about how helpful the Essay has been in my recovery. I have hopes it might become bimonthly instead of quarterly.
