Responsibility is HARD. For real!

Maybe you are like me and this Coronavirus thing and its effects have brought about some tension/conflict in your life. And that has brought out some ugly things in your life/heart?

For me it has.

We have four boys between 3-6 years old. Working from home has been…. interesting. It’s gone well overall but the other day the kids were doing an egg drop experiment. But after they tested their egg structure, and it failed miserably, nobody seemed to care about cleaning it up. I wasn’t happy!

Instead of calmly helping me kids see the mess that needed cleaning, I got upset, impatient, angry. Yelling didn’t seem to help the situation much either. My sin was exposed.

Or take the numerous times my wife has looked me in the eye telling me she needs a break. My knee-jerk reaction is to defend myself with all the work that needs to still get done. Instead of responding in humility with listening/empathetic ear, instead I hear her need as an attack. I’m being blamed somehow (I don’t take blame well) and I minimize her need while also returning blame to her. My pride and insecurity is exposed.

I can take responsibility in these moments or shift blame elsewhere. Shifting the blame is so much easier! I don’t have to change or humble myself. Afterall, I’m not the problem anyways right? It is my kids who won’t listen and my wife who won’t be flexible.

Sure Jon, you keep telling yourself that.

Responsibility for our sin is hard. It is a fight! And yet until we begin to do that, we won’t really change at all.

What has the coronavirus moment brought out in you? Are you still blaming your roommate for your anger issues because they won’t pick up after themselves? Are you blaming your family for your anxiety because they won’t stop asking you for your time?

Not to say their behavior is perfect, but maybe these situations are exposing your idol of control? Maybe it is exposing your lack of patience and steadfast love?

Paul Tripp in his book, “How People Change” shows in the picture below that the HEAT in our lives is merely exposing us. The longer we blame the heat instead of bringing our bad fruit into the light, repent of it, turn to the sufficiency of the cross and resurrection, and rest in our new identity given through faith… the long we sit in immaturity, sin, and a lack of appreciation of Jesus.

Responsibility is hard. Change is hard. But lets humble ourselves. Let’s come to God with a heart of brokenness realizing our sin is our biggest problem, not our homework, finals, or family members.

That will bring about some serious transformation by God’s grace. Worship will explode out of our hearts. And in the midst of the circumstantial HEAT, God will be glorified.

With you all in the fight,

Jon