Text- Ephesians 5:15 - “Therefore, be very careful how you live and act. Let it not be as unwise men, but as wise.”
We live in a society of victims. Nobody wants to accept responsibility, especially for their mistakes and failures. There is always an excuse for why things are the way they are.
For example, when you ask a student for his grades; if the result was good, you hear something like “I passed!” But if the result was bad, he’ll probably say “They failed me”... It’s so pleasing to take compliments for success, but accepting responsibility for failure is difficult.
A more subtle example is if something is stolen from you. It is way easier to blame the thief than to accept responsibility for your carelessness.
Admittedly, this is not a new problem. The issue of not wanting to take responsibility started right after the fall of man. When God queried Adam on what he had done, Adam was quick to blame the woman, and indirectly indict God who gave her to him. Adam said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree…”
When the woman was asked too, she passed on the blame to the serpent. She said, “The serpent deceived me…” That’s exactly how most people still behave today. Everyone wants to play victim and paint the picture that they were helpless. It seems we all have an excuse for the things that we do wrong.
You see, God has blessed us with freedom of choice, so much so that not choosing is itself a choice. So technically, nobody is totally helpless in any given situation. We have a God-given right to choose what we want in life, and to chart the course of our individual lives.
When we refuse to take responsibility, we try to blame others, make excuses for ourselves, and expect those around us to pity our ‘predicament’. When we do this, we deny reality; deceptively refuse to face the challenges of life, and go on to find excuses to justify our inactivity. This kind of approach keeps a man from fulfilling purpose and reaching his full potential.
As you go through life, I want you to do away with the victim mentality. Take responsibility for your decision and actions; how you use your time, how you spend your money, your attitude, your affections, the kind of friends you keep, your health, your overall happiness, your mistakes, your failures and most importantly, your future!
Truly, it takes a lot of discipline and courage to take responsibility for one’s life. But when you do this, your life will be better for it. If there is anything in your life that you are not satisfied about today, I admonish you to take responsibility, and begin to do something about it.
PRAYER
Father, help me to discipline myself and grant me the courage to take responsibility for my life; my decisions and actions in Jesus Name. Amen.
Image Credit: acranger.com