“Taking Responsibility”

It’s easy to blame others for your woes. “You know, if I didn’t get the short end of the stick all the time, I would have done better …. if that mean teacher hadn’t given me that F…. if that coach had given me a fair shake….if that priest was a better preacher…. if my parents had been more lenient or strict, frugal or generous, happy or serious….. then I could have done better and my life would be good. Hmmmmm.

I still remember the boxer played by Marlon Brando in the 1954 classic movie, “On The Waterfront”; Brando bemoans his fate saying, ”I could have been a contender”(pronounced “contendaa”) I could have been somebody, not this bum.  

Well, that kind of thinking gets you absolutely “nowhere”. I think Teddy Roosevelt had it right…. “I’m usually my worst own enemy. I’m the one responsible for my life”. How many saints started out in a terrible life… poverty and sickness and rejection , but ended up as saints. And how many others started out with wealth and privilege and ended up in jail or worse.

Feeling sorry for myself doesn’t work out very well. Blaming others for my woes gets me nowhere. By the grace of God, I need to take responsibility for my life. I need to “own my sins” so that I can take them to the cross and receive forgiveness. Christ can redeem any situation if we allow him the chance. If we can come to realize that the Lord has been with us in our trials and is with us now and will not abandon us… then all will be well with our souls. 

It’s such a relief to lay all that “baggage” at the feet of the Lord. Lord thank you for my life… the good and the bad, the talents and the handicaps, those who were  kind to me and even those who were not. All that matters is that you love me and are taking care of me and will not abandon me. And when all is said and done, you will have the last word …. you are my Lord and Savior and that is very good news. 

It Is Well With My Soul ( Hymn by Horatio Spafford)

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know
It is well, it is well, with my soul.