October 13
A Manageable Part
Someone wants to help but cannot accept the role we have in mind. Their work hours change, they care for a family member, or their health leaves little energy. It is tempting to hear a refusal where there may be a genuine wish to participate. We can mistake the size of a person's availability for the size of their concern.
Belonging need not depend on being able to carry the largest task. A smaller contribution may connect someone to the work in a way that fits their actual life. We can ask what is possible without putting them on trial or promising that any available task will suit them. Responsibilities still have requirements. But there is value in looking beyond the same few arrangements and the same few volunteers. People often have something to give that becomes visible only when our invitation is flexible enough to discover it.
What form of participation might fit a person's real circumstances?
What they are able to give matters.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Concepts for World Service, Concept IV.