Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Taking Responsibility (1)
Much is required from those to whom much is given.
Luke 12:48 TLB
Responsibility is a two-sided coin. On one side is responsibility, on the other side is reward. Too many of us are focused on one side of the coin only - reward.
Taking responsibility means three things: (1) Acknowledging what you are responsible for. (2) Acknowledging who you are responsible to. (3) Acting responsibly at all times. All the excuses you give yourself, and others, won't let you off the hook. Jesus said, "Much is required from those to whom much is given." At their annual conference the manager of a dog food company asked his sales team how they liked the company's new advertising programme. "Great!" they replied, "the best in the business." "What do you think of the product?" he asked. "Fantastic" they replied. "How about the sales force?" he asked. They were the sales force, so of course they responded positively saying they were the best. "Okay then," the manager said, "so if we have the best brand, the best packaging, the best advertising programme and the best sales force, why are we in seventeenth place in our industry?" After an awkward silence one of the salesmen shouted, "It's those dogs - they just won't eat the stuff!"
Guess what? Your problem is not the dogs, or your job, or your spouse, or society at large, or whatever. Be honest, your biggest challenge in life is you. If your life's not going the way you want it to, you are responsible for changing it. And God will help you if you turn to Him. But you must want to change, decide to change, and work each day towards that end.

No comments: