Personal Responsibility

For many of us, the idea of personal responsibility is almost a kind of mantra. We live in a society where there seems to be so little of it. We beat our heads against the wall as we see lives ruined because individuals want to blame everything and anything other than themselves. Things spiral out of control because so few people want to say, "Oops. I messed up. Let me see what I can do to fix that."

Then there are those who say, "I've made a mistake. This havoc was wrought because of poor decisions on my part. I'm in the middle of a mess of my own making."

Is that not refreshing? Don't we just love those people? I know I do. Your heart fills with compassion as you see them then trying to make right some of the things that have gone wrong.

I was having this discussion with my sister the other day. She is one of those few who doesn't blame others, but owns up to her own mistakes.. It's one of the things I love about her. But she added some thoughts that deserve attention.

When we make mistakes we know that there may be consequences for bad choices. We often are prepared to face those consequences. But what throws us for a loop, are the consequences of our behavior that fall on others. Children who suffer because of parents' choices. Spouses in pain. Mothers and fathers whose lives are changed irrevocably.

None of us are an island unto ourselves. We mess up, more than likely someone is going to get hurt. All the "making right" we try to do cannot change that. And that is one of the most painful parts of sin.

I love this time of year. Today is Maundy Thursday. Maundy comes from "mandate" or command...as in "a new command I give you. Love one another." Christ said this after He'd washed the disciples feet. Love, humility, servitude...this is who I am to be.

The pain that I've inflicted on others is real and I can't remove it. In a culture that says "I can do anything," it's sometimes shocking to find out that we can't. But there is One who can. And He makes all things new. The pain is there. But it is transformable.

He is risen indeed!

Our Move

Moving days. You forget how trying they can be. Three households in my family have moved in the last two weeks. We were in the midst of two of them. Add to that a bout of the flu for this little parcel of Pacific Grove, and you've got some exhausted people. My turn with the bug hasn't happened and I'm praying it stays that way. I think we all need to get well.

When we were leaving Germany, a friend came over for dinner. He looked around our house and said, "Do you have to personally move all this stuff?" Cockily, I responded, "No, no, no. The Army does all that. I just have to supervise."

A better response would have been, "No, thank God. His provision for our life is good and I'm grateful for it."

God has a way of dealing with an ungrateful heart. Or that cocky spirit. Or whatever you want to call it. Because two months after arriving here, I was in the middle of not one household move, but two. And there was no team of professional movers to "supervise." We did hire a couple of men for two hours with each move to get the heaviest of the heavy, by that was it.

I had posted previously that I wanted the "gentle nudges" from God because it seems that I'm frequently getting those smacks upside the head. Maybe He has been giving me the gentle nudges and I'm too loud and dense to get them. But at any rate, God is patient even if I'm not. And He's still working on me.

So...a short list of things I'm grateful for through this move:

1) Many willing hands. My sister-in-law, God bless her, worked so hard on two houses that weren't even hers, although her own household shipment came in at the same time. My nieces were incredible. My nephews. My brother. My boys. And of course, my sister and my parents.

2) A 16 year old son. It's amazing how strong boys get when they grow up. He's not yet a man, but he sure can tackle the heavy stuff much better than I.

3) A place to live. And this is where I am especially thankful to my parents and sister. Their willingness to make room for us while we wait for our next assignment is so very appreciated.

4) Good health. As I watch almost everyone around fall victim to this bug, I really do thank God for sparing me so far. And if it catches up with me, I am thankful that at least the hard part of moving is past.

Those of you with moves of your own coming up, (Sue, Alex, others) you're in my prayers. I love you and want to remind you to be grateful in the midst of all the mess.