Posted by
peripheral on Tuesday, August 05, 2008 7:38:46 AM
From My Perspective - - - -
Accepting responsibility for
one’s choices and actions is a difficult acknowledgement, especially if the
choice was unwise and the action ludicrous. One only has to look at the
Congress of the United States to see how difficult it is for one to (a) admit
fault/error, and (b) to accept/agree with one with whom there is a partisan
difference. It is reported that this Congress accomplished the least of any
recent Congress (and then they need a 5 week vacation to recover from their
inaction). Fox News reported that only
14% of the population approved of this Congress’ performance. But the
finger-pointing continues – Democrats pointing at Republicans and Republicans
pointing at Democrats.
It is obvious that imbedded
in human nature is the ability to avoid accepting responsibility. From the
Creation of the Universe and World, man has demonstrated the innate desire to
shift focus and rationalize when it comes to accountability for choices and
actions. When the Temptation occurs in the Garden of Eden, and as that scene
unfolds, when God confronts Adam about his choice and action of disobedience to
God’s only Law – Adam responds: The Woman you gave me tried it and liked it and
told me to eat the fruit. When God confronts Eve about her choice and action of
disobedience to God’s only Law – Eve responds: The serpent You Created said it
would be alright (and that You didn’t really mean what You said about dying and
stuff). One can be certain that if the
serpent had been challenged with the same question, he might have responded:
Who? Me?
An important Biblical narrative regarding the acceptance of
responsibility pertains to the conduct of David when he had committed adultery
with Bathsheba and then arranged for the murder of her husband in battle. As
much as he tried to avoid responsibility for his actions, he was internally
afflicted and conflicted. One can only imagine the agony of soul experienced by
David as he struggled with his disobedience and awful behavior. In both Psalm
32 and Psalm 51, we have a brief glimpse of that inner struggle and the resolve
that was finally sought. In Psalm 32, it speaks of the soul’s anguish and the
pain within his bones when he tried to remain silent about his sin and admitting
the same to God.
In Psalm 51, David finally arrives at the point where he cries
out to God: “Against You – You only have I sinned and done this evil in Your
sight!” As the Psalm progresses and as he seeks the mercy and forgiveness,
David makes certain requests in Psalm 51:7 through 14, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall
be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and
gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my
sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and
renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take
not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and
uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and
sinners will return to you. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, O God of
my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.”
It is a regrettable observation
that in the Church one will often find turbulence rather than tranquility,
factions rather than unity, self-centeredness rather than yieldedness, conflict
rather than peace. The Book of Revelation (Chapters 2 and 3) pictures Jesus
Christ walking in the midst of Seven Churches and stating what he is observing.
Out of the seven, only one receives almost complete approval. If Jesus Christ
walked in the midst of our Churches in the United States today – what would He
observe? What would He indicate needs to take place? Would He point His finger
directly at the Church one belongs to and categorize what He sees wrong? Would He
state – and would we heed – Repent! Return to your first love! – or else you
will be removed from any further Kingdom opportunity and meaningful
representation? Could that be why one can observe so many churches that seem to
be “going through the motions” while actually going nowhere?
Consider these things with me and accept responsibility to be
different and to do differently - - -