When a Big Book meeting reads from Chapter Seven, there is usually plenty of sharing about how important it is to have a 'loving, understanding, kind' sponsor.
Now, it's rare for people to actually say what is meant by this, because it's open to considerable interpretation.
When pressed, they usually say something about the sponsor being cheery and agreeable, not challenging them on anything, letting them go at their own pace, and not doing anything to disturb them 'on their own path'.
Here's what I think love is, in sponsorship:
It means looking out for the sponsee's best interests.
This means offering an extremely robust, action-centred programme, with spiritual solutions to every problem, through the Steps, the Traditions, and the Concepts, and clarity on how disciplined action activates these spiritual solutions.
It means challenging the sponsee when there are signs of anything less than full, enthusiastic cooperation.
In other words, loving sponsorship is going to be very uncomfortable for the individual.