September 25
Even Someone We Trust
A much-loved member has always handled the details. Their judgment is good, their devotion is clear, and asking for a report can feel almost insulting. Why introduce a procedure when everyone trusts them? The room may prefer gratitude to a conversation about how decisions are made. Nobody wants to sound unkind toward someone who has given so much.
The safeguards in Concept Twelve recognize that good intentions deserve support from arrangements that can outlast them. Clear limits protect the trusted person too. They spare someone the impossible expectation of never making a mistake and spare the group a crisis if that person becomes unavailable. Our affection can remain warm while responsibilities become visible. A report, shared access to information, or a recorded decision need not be an accusation. It can be how people who trust one another keep caring for the same work.
What would protect both a trusted servant and the people depending on them?
An agreed arrangement would spare us some guessing.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Concepts for World Service, Concept XII, General Warranties.