Interesting topic, wouldn’t you agree? The whole thought of it is summed up in that statement: don’t accept too much responsibility. How does this apply to us? And aren’t we supposed to be responsible?
Yes, we are absolutely supposed to be responsible. For our words, actions, motives, and even for our thoughts. Now we’re really getting personal, aren’t we? But our responsibility has limits. It’s not from here to the ends of the earth. It simply applies to us and what we do, and to those under our authority.
For instance, let’s start with the basics.
Responsibility is defined as knowing and doing what both God and others are expecting from me.
Ideally, as children we are taught the importance of being responsible. We are given tasks and as we grow we are relied on to accomplish them. I remember as a young child being told to pick up my toys before I got another toy out. Looking back, this was a simple training in responsibility, though at the time it just felt like a lot of work!
As I got older, instead of reminding me daily about my jobs, my parents made job charts and assigned days to the tasks they gave. It was up to me to be responsible and do my work without constant babysitting. And the fascinating thing is, though I was not an ideal child and required a lot of correcting and training, as time went on, I began to hold myself responsible. Even now, it is so much easier for me to set a task for myself than to be given a job by another!
Relating the importance of responsibility in work is one of the easiest ways to relate it.
But what about the words, motives and thoughts listed above? How can we practice responsibility there? What does it even mean to be responsible with our words, motives and thoughts?
Our words obviously relates to our talking. When we practice responsibility with our words, we don’t run our mouths. We don’t make exaggerative claims or statements, and we don’t make false promises. Instead we practice integrity and guard our mouths.
To practice responsibility with our motives is to be alert to what drives us to do certain things. We will want to avoid being snide, malicious, or gossiping. On the other hand, if our intent is to help, build up, or encourage another we can rejoice in those motives!
Last but not least, we must be responsible for what we think about. This is perhaps the most important area to practice responsibility. As Proverbs says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”. It is vital that we guard our thoughts and hold every thought captive. Our thoughts can be the trickiest place to guard since no one can see them. But this doesn’t give us leave to be careless, but should rather motivate us to be even more guarded! We want to hold every thought accountable to God’s Word.
As Philippians says, “Whatever is pure, lovely, right, true, honorable and of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, think on these things.” With this set of guidelines, we can be sure to be responsible for our thoughts!
Don’t Accept Too Much Responsibility
We can’t accept responsibility for others. (unless of course they are your children still under your authority) I have worked with difficult people and have found myself accepting responsibility for their actions or attitudes, only to realize later that that is not my place.
And I know I’m not the only one who struggles here. Friends have shared similar scenarios. But I want to tell you what I had to realize for myself: you can’t accept responsibility for others. This hurts not only you but the person for which you accept the responsibility. If they are letting you take the blame, bear the weight, they obviously don’t care. And if you are rushing ahead trying to shoulder what isn’t yours to bear, you will get overwhelmed! This is a lose-lose situation!
It is vital that you remain alert and watch for this trap.
Do your best to avoid these situations, but when you can’t, know how to deal with them. When the other person prepares to let you take the responsibility, hand it right back to them. Be intelligent and avoid repeated situations.
In the long run, you are doing yourself and others an incredible favor! Perhaps you are teaching someone about responsibility that never had the opportunity to learn about it before. In addition, you are doing yourself the favor of not signing up to be a martyr!
Pause and look around at your life. Are you accepting responsibility for your life and actions, words and attitudes? Are you helping others reach a higher standard by not rushing forward to accept their responsibility for them? Good things to ponder, wouldn’t you agree?!
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. If you are like me, you can’t get too much encouragement! Keep reading and may the stories and lessons shared encourage you: https://www.theamericanlady.com/category/encouragement/