BLAME. RESPONSIBILITY. Blame says: “If you would’ve woken me up I would have made it to work on time” Responsibility says: “I stayed up late, then fell asleep without setting my alarm.” Blame says: “If you would have supported me, my business would be succeeding.” Responsibility says: “I misused the funds given to me for my business and now I’m in debt.” Blame says: “You should/should not have…” Responsibility says: “I made a mistake, that’s on me”. Taking responsibility doesn’t make you weak. It makes you mature. Because who wants to be around people who are always looking for someone to blame?
The definition of responsibility according to Merriam-Webster dictionary is: the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management.
The thing that stands out to me in this definition is “within one’s power, control or management”. It reminds me of advice a colleague shared with me. I was extremely overwhelmed with work and feeling as if I was “missing it”. Like I truly was not measuring up and she said, “Andy, you just have to control the controllables.” After that conversation, I sat with that sentence for at least a week asking myself what do I control? What are the things that I can control?
After assessing all the things that I could control, there was one bottom line... ME. I can control myself, under the authority of the Holy Spirit of course, but that is what I can control. I cannot control other people and their decisions. I cannot control situations that I don’t have a lead in. I cannot control how other people feel about me. I cannot control what they think or say.
I can control ME. I can control how I show up. How I respond. My decisions. My thoughts. My reactions. I have a responsibility to OWN my stuff. To own my part in things. To apologize when I need to. To forgive when I need to. To own a mistake. To realize my fault in something.
It’s November and as I reflect on the year. I’ve achieved a lot. I’ve met quite a few of my goals and it's a great feeling. I also realize that I’ve made many mistakes this year and as of this moment, I choose to OWN those. Mistakes with my husband, my colleagues, my parents, and my friends... I choose to OWN and take responsibility for my part and allow God to work on the faults of others.
My prayer for today is that you would take responsibility for YOU. I pray that you are able to see yourself and your part in situations and are able to refrain from playing the blame game. I pray that God increases your capacity to control the controllables. With a few weeks of 2023 left, I pray the Lord allows you to squeeze as much goodness out of the rest of the year as you can withstand. I pray that He continues to bless and increase you. I pray God gives you the peace to rest in knowing that you are a treasured vessel to Him. A vessel that He wants to use. I pray you allow Him to increase your capacity to live a life poured out.
In Jesus Name, Amen
-A