Taking Responsibility

Ephesians 4:15-16 (VOICE) 15 Instead, by truth spoken in love, we are to grow in every way into Him the Anointed One, the head. 16 He joins and holds together the whole body with its ligaments providing the support needed so each part works to its proper design to form a healthy, growing, and mature body that builds itself up in love.

This morning I woke up thinking about how important it is for us as individuals to learn to take responsibility for ourselves and our own actions.  These verses stuck out to me because too often we don't exactly want to take that responsibility, which makes it even more difficult to realize our position in the Kingdom.  We let our past and mistakes consume us; causing us to stay stagnant and non-functioning.  We'll cloud our own judgment with these answers that make us feel good...but, truth is, we're not growing and are instead sitting in our own misery pretending to be ok with ourselves. 

It says....16. He joins and holds together the whole body with its ligaments providing the support needed so each part works to its proper design to form a healthy, GROWING and MATURE body... Sometimes we blame others and sometimes we will just say...well, this is who I am and I'm fine with that...neither of which is what God really wants for us.  We all have a function and job in the Kingdom of God, and by no means in saying that do I think or believe that we are all not going to have some bad days and times.  However, sometimes it's time to look past our mess and to what God wants from us. 

We've all made mistakes, been dealt bad hands, and just flat out been attacked...but, we must come out of it at some point and accept responsibility for the part we played in it.  Whether it's "our fault" or not it's time to change what we can and to walk into what God has called us to do.  I sincerely cast my own stones here! I'm guilty of knowing something needs to change and at times even blaming someone else for some of the issues or problems that are now current, but I don't want to continue on like this.  I want not only to pray about what needs to be changed on my part and see it, but I also truly want to step into that change. 

I also, from experience, realize this is not always an easy thing to do.  Sometimes it causes us to feel like we need to change everything and everyone around us and other times it just seems to continue to repeat itself over and over again no matter what we do.  I'm also a witness to, at times, the fact that it will continue on for a time because there is something that God wants us to get out of it and even learn from it.  However, no matter what the case is…we have to pursue God's will for our lives.  We have to seek His counsel in and for everything and change what He calls for us to change; even if that means accepting something as our wrong.   

Just as we expect our children to grow from babies who know little to adults who, prayerfully, know more than we as their parents do…so must we as adults grow in the knowledge of Christ from baby Christians (at the beginning of our walk) to more mature Christians.  Some days it seems easy and others it’s a struggle, but no matter what trials or obstacles we come to, He is always with us…ready to guide us through.