December 8
Enough for the Purpose
A group looks at its bank balance and feels pleased. There is more money than there used to be. That sounds reassuring until somebody asks what the money is intended to do. Rent and supplies are covered, a sensible reserve is in place, and other services that help carry the message still need support. Accumulating has become easier to discuss than using.
Concept XII treats prudent reserves seriously while warning against wealth becoming a purpose of its own. The right amount requires informed group conscience, not a slogan. Its spiritual question can also give us something to consider personally, though a household has different responsibilities from a service body. What are our resources serving? Fear sometimes moves the definition of enough each time we approach it. Careful provision for real needs deserves respect; so does the possibility that security will never arrive as a particular balance on a statement.
How do I distinguish preparation for a real need from an endless attempt to feel untouchable?
The balance needs a purpose beyond getting larger.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Concepts for World Service, Concept XII, Warranties One and Two.