January 13
A Reasonable Effort
When we care deeply about an outcome, it can be hard to recognize the end of a reasonable effort. There is always another call to make or possibility to consider. Stopping feels careless. We may lie awake rehearsing a problem after everything useful for the day has already been done, as though continued worry were evidence of continued love.
Responsibility has limits because we do. Some matters require persistence over time, and some require us to wait for information we cannot hurry. Rest does not settle which is which, but exhaustion rarely improves our judgment. We can ask God for help distinguishing the next useful action from another attempt to make uncertainty disappear. A trusted friend may see the difference before we do. Accepting that perspective can leave us better able to return to our responsibility, without making ourselves the only protection against every possible trouble.
How do I recognize when effort has become an attempt to abolish uncertainty?
The problem will still be here after some sleep.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Step Three, p. 41.