Dealing With Responsibility

        What your responsibilities are is important. Your attitude toward them is equally important. Which of the following typifies your attitude toward them?

        Shirk, do you shirk them?

        Og Mandino commented, “Never neglect the little things. Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, that soft word of praise or thanks, that delivery of the very best that you can do. It does not matter what others think, it is of prime importance, however, what you think about you. You can never do your best, which should always be your trademark, if you are cutting corners and shirking responsibilities. You are special. Act it. Never neglect the little things.”

        Shelve, do you put them on the shelf? This is often done with the dream there surely will be time in the future to do them. Putting them aside often means putting them out of sight and ultimately outdated and undone.

        Shoulder, do you shoulder them and undertake them without the help of the Lord? Undertaking a task alone is often accompanied by depression and anxiety, and it may make it hard for you to reach out for help or ask for what you need. 

Feeling like a task being undertaken without the help of the Lord is a load too heavy can be an overwhelming experience, but remember, it’s not a journey you have to walk alone. By employing prayer and unloading can put you in a position to reload in partnership with the Lord whose broad shoulders can enable the task to be done well. 

        Shed, do you tend to shed them, that is, not assume responsibility for them? Occasionally a responsibility is faced and finished. There is an old Indian adage that is appropriate, “When you are riding a dead horse, dismount.”       

        There are times we find ourselves a burden that really isn’t ours. When you do, admit it. Even if you can’t sing it, do it: “Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.”

        Share, do you share them with the Lord and let your responsibility be aided by   His ability.? There is no responsibility so small He will not take a part in it or so large He can’t enable its achievement.

        When confronted with a challenge let your responsibility be based on His ability. Undertaken alone some responsibilities will wear you out. When done in partnership with the Lord your energy and effort can be enhanced exponentially. 

        We should not wait passively for God to act in our stead. However, we should extend ourselves energetically while all the time asking the Lord for His enablement.

        The Bible encourages us to depend on God while also putting in effort ourselves. 

        “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3: 5 – 8).