Be Responsible

I am constantly reminded that we are all, individually responsible for our own actions. So often, it is much easier to complain about the way someone else is behaving or responding to a given situation than to actually do something about the way someone is acting.




Lately, I have been in many situations where I felt God nudging me to have a difficult conversation with someone. I tend to hesitate when I feel this kind of prompting, because I am worried how the other person is going to respond.


When I was in Campus Crusade for Christ in college, their big thing was it was my responsibility to go out and share the Gospel and leave the results to God. It wasn't my responsibility to make someone respond a certain way, that was up to that person and how God was working in their hearts.

The same applies to me in my everyday life. If someone is acting inappropriately and I know it is wrong, it is my responsibility to do something about it. Not to respond in a similarly inappropriate manner; or to just ignore someones behavior; or to talk to someone else about how poorly someone behaved. The Bible calls me to "speak the truth in love", not "speak the truth in love knowing that the other person will always respond in a way I want them to."

If I am unwilling to speak the truth in love, the other person may never hear the truth. They may never be given a chance to become a better person as a result. If I don't speak the truth in love, I am as much at fault in a situation between me and another person.