Responsibility
Dear Friends,
I have been thinking about responsibility lately. In our homes we all have responsibilities: things we are asked or required to do in order to be a faithful part of the family. Maybe your responsibility is to take care of the pets, or to mow the lawn, or to wash the dishes or to pay the bills. When you are not a responsible person, those jobs are not done, or they are not done well. Eventually someone else has to do them, or the home and family degrade into vile muck and squalor! OK – maybe it isn’t that bad. But things can get pretty dirty. And not just to the sight.
When we shirk our responsibilities it can create challenges and difficulties in our relationships and in the smooth operations of family life. There are certainly times when we need to be released from a responsibility. Simply to neglect it, however, is irresponsible and damaging to the whole. If I am supposed to do something and for some reason cannot I need to let you know about it and find another way for that responsibility to be met. Communication, compromise and perhaps a bit of grace always help us get through such times.
This, of course, translates beyond the home to the church and community. It even translates to our political life. We expect our political leaders to fulfill certain responsibilities. And we often have different expectations. On Tuesday we have the privilege and responsibility to vote for those whom we think will best fulfill those responsibilities to govern fairly, responsibly, wisely, and carefully. Please take time to vote if you haven’t already and take time to talk with your children about responsibility and what that looks like in your own family and home.
The Apostle Paul gives us some helpful words about how to relate to each other when things get mucky. They are found in Galatians 6:1-5. Take time to read over those verses and meditate on their meaning for you, your family, your community, and our world. I hope you will take seriously your responsibility to read and apply the Word of God to your own life.
To God be the Glory!
Robert
