sponsoring through the twelve steps - Overeaters Anonymous

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525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 Step Four will direct the sponsee to look at how he or she is contributing to the problem, looking for defects, attitudes and behaviors. Step Five will be completed with an oral inventory, or can be shared after the sponsee has finished writing. You and your sponsee can then go through Steps Six and Seven again, as discussed previously. Continuing with Steps Eight and Nine, you and your sponsee can decide if and how amends need to be made. By reviewing the “Twelve and Twelve” literature, sponsees can also explore whether any Traditions have not been upheld. This can help sponsees understand how to personally apply the principles contained in the Traditions, thus deepening their understanding of how character defects manifest themselves. By taking this daily inventory, sponsees can minimize or prevent the return of character defects and such feelings as resentment, self-centeredness, dishonesty or fear. STEP ELEVEN: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Sponsors will have already introduced sponsees to the concepts of Step Eleven by encouraging them to build a relationship with God. Having worked the previous Steps, sponsees will undoubtedly have had evidence of a Higher Power working in their lives. However, continuing to maintain conscious contact with God ensures the spiritual fitness necessary for continued abstinence and a life that remains happy, joyous and free. Prayer is talking to God, and meditation is listening to God. Most sponsors recognize that prayer and meditation are highly individualized practices and that there are as many ways to pray and meditate as there are people. However, our literature explains the importance of intentionally seeking the God of our understanding every day, developing a God consciousness, developing intuition and coming to rely on it. Step Eleven questions could include: How have I sought God’s will for myself today? Am I taking time to seek God’s will through prayer and meditation? Have I attended my regular OA meetings so I can carry the message as well as hear God’s will through the sharing of others? Have I behaved towards others today as God would have me? Was I the best example of the OA program that I could be today? Was I useful to others? Our literature suggests contacting God upon arising to ask for guidance in planning the day. Encourage your sponsees to pray that God remove their self centeredness, help them consider other people and give them inspiration; and that God’s will be done. When problems arise throughout the day, the sponsee can pause, ask God’s direction, and then relax, knowing the answers will come. In addition to the above information, use Step Eleven as an opportunity for sponsees to look in depth at the Twelve Traditions. To seek spiritual growth and improved relationships with others, sponsees can use writing or another form of meditation to consider questions such as: 14
569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 How does each Tradition apply to my life on a personal, day-to-day level? Do I apply the principles of the Steps and Traditions in all my affairs? How has each of the promises manifested in my life? What actions am I taking to seek improved conscious contact with the God of my understanding? Have I prayed selfishly? Do I pray for knowledge of God’s will for me and the power to carry that out? How do I manifest God’s will for me during the day? As we grow in program, we learn to rely more and more on a higher spiritual power, realizing that through prayer and meditation, we will be taken care of in a way that we never thought possible. STEP TWELVE: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Arriving at Step Twelve is a gradual process rather than something that happens at a set point in time. It does not mean we are cured of this disease or can rest on our laurels. Practicing these principles in all our affairs and seeking God’s will become daily disciplines and a way of life. Questions to be answered might include: How do you know you have had a spiritual awakening? What evidence do you have of a Higher Power working in your life? What are the principles you have learned from taking all Twelve Steps? In what ways do you practice these principles in all your affairs? How do you try to carry this message to other compulsive overeaters? What is this message? Has your concept of God changed as a result of taking the Steps? As the OA Responsibility Pledge states, “Always to extend the hand and heart of OA to all who share my compulsion; for this I am responsible.” If your sponsee has not previously offered at meetings to sponsor someone, arriving at the Twelfth Step is a good time to do so. The new sponsor is responsible for carrying the message of the Twelve Steps to other compulsive eaters. Many sponsees are intimidated by the prospect of becoming a sponsor. Many sponsors, having worked with people who are eager for recovery and willing to do the Steps, know the joy of carrying the message through a sponsoring relationship. As the literature suggests, it is an experience that must not be missed. Our program emphasizes that working with others is required for continuous recovery. This could include sharing with other compulsive eaters, helping at a meeting, being a sponsor, becoming involved in the OA service structure, or explaining to interested family or friends what OA is and how it works. 15
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sponsoring through the twelve steps - Overeaters Anonymous

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