Responsibility
I don't know about you, but I struggle with making decisions. I'm not sure where this rampant indecisiveness came from, but I have been known to make a big deal out of the most trivial of choices. For example, once when I was in high school, I was sitting on the couch, staring into nothingness. My sister walked in and asked what I was doing. "Trying to figure out if I should go skateboarding or play video games," I replied. She thought that was dumb and left. Almost an hour went by and she came back, only to find me sitting in the same place! "Why are you still sitting here?!" she asked. I was still trying to figure out if I should go skateboarding or play video games. By the time I decided, I could have done both!
I'm not that bad anymore, but I still struggle with decision-making, especially when it involves other people. I never want to make a decision that someone else may not agree with, and then have that particular situation turn out poorly for the both of us (or even just the other party). This happens a lot when I'm going out to eat with friends. What if everyone else doesn't want Taco Bell? What if I choose Taco Bell and everyone else gets sick because of it? What if the ladies in the group hate Taco Bell (because most of them do), and are angry the rest of the evening because of it? My solution is to just shelve my opinion and adapt to whatever someone else wants.
The problem is that this has permeated so much of my life, that every decision is, "I don't care. Do whatever you want." Even big ones...and as I examine this situation, I end up landing on the fact that I don't like to be responsible for the outcome of a situation if someone else is affected by it. If so-and-so has a bad night, it's my fault. If the car I choose for my wife breaks down, it's my fault. If our apartment is next to a highway and we never sleep, I put us here. Those are some extreme circumstances (and not all factual), but you get the idea.
So then I come across this verse the other day:
1 Corinthians 6:1-3
Mark Driscoll said in the Peasant Princess sermon series (check earlier blogs) that men of my generation shy away from responsibility. Our Savior, however, took responsibility that wasn't His (our sins) and bore them. If Jesus is our model and our Lord, shouldn't we be taking as much responsibility as we can?
This verse is a huge encouragement in the area of responsibility for me, and hopefully it is for you too.
I'm not that bad anymore, but I still struggle with decision-making, especially when it involves other people. I never want to make a decision that someone else may not agree with, and then have that particular situation turn out poorly for the both of us (or even just the other party). This happens a lot when I'm going out to eat with friends. What if everyone else doesn't want Taco Bell? What if I choose Taco Bell and everyone else gets sick because of it? What if the ladies in the group hate Taco Bell (because most of them do), and are angry the rest of the evening because of it? My solution is to just shelve my opinion and adapt to whatever someone else wants.
The problem is that this has permeated so much of my life, that every decision is, "I don't care. Do whatever you want." Even big ones...and as I examine this situation, I end up landing on the fact that I don't like to be responsible for the outcome of a situation if someone else is affected by it. If so-and-so has a bad night, it's my fault. If the car I choose for my wife breaks down, it's my fault. If our apartment is next to a highway and we never sleep, I put us here. Those are some extreme circumstances (and not all factual), but you get the idea.
So then I come across this verse the other day:
1 Corinthians 6:1-3
If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!It really brings things into perspective, doesn't it? If I am capable to judge the world and angels, certainly I can judge what is a good place to eat for us; or how to get there, or where to live.
Mark Driscoll said in the Peasant Princess sermon series (check earlier blogs) that men of my generation shy away from responsibility. Our Savior, however, took responsibility that wasn't His (our sins) and bore them. If Jesus is our model and our Lord, shouldn't we be taking as much responsibility as we can?
This verse is a huge encouragement in the area of responsibility for me, and hopefully it is for you too.
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