While some are prone to neglect their responsibilities, others tend to take on more than what is theirs to own. And both extremes invite unnecessary problems. We must wisely discern how to balance our responsibilities.
To be sure, there’s much outside of our control and we’re not responsible for everything in life.
But we neglect our responsibilities when we become lazy and passively let things go undone. And also when we consistently blame others for the problems we face.
Maturity calls for us to accept those things that are ours to own. And this remains true even when the work is hard or others sweep in to do it for us.
We’re accountable for how we handle what God has given us to do.
But this doesn’t mean we become overly responsible. There are still many things not ours to own.
And we’re likely doing too much when we believe it’s up to us to fix the problems of everyone around us.
It’s one thing to generously give ourselves in service to others. But it’s something else entirely when we also rob them of the dignity to stand on their own two feet and exercise their own strength.
We learn this balance in our relationship with God.
On the one hand, we’re dependent on him for our very breath. It’s in him we live and move and exist.
At the same time, he respects us as men – giving us the ability to freely create and make things happen. And he allows us to face risks and suffer consequences as we learn how to bring more life and goodness into the world.
We don’t get to be lazy. Something is required of us to live by faith. And we don’t replace God. We still need him for our very life.
In a similar way we must balance our responsibilities throughout life – accepting what’s ours and respecting others to do the same.
Without neglecting our responsibilities, we don’t get to play God and make others dependent on us either.
Learn to balance your responsibilities – neither underplaying nor overselling what’s yours to do.
Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash
