You are Responsible for You
It is a popular concept to blame someone or something else for our own poor behavior. We blame our parents, our spouse, our circumstances, or whatever we can to take the responsibility for our actions off of ourselves. As graduates who are leaving their homes and beginning new lives apart from their immediate families, it is important to realize that you are responsible for all your choices and to know they all have consequences. There is no such thing as irresponsibility. You are responsible for everything you think, say or do or fail to do. Whether you are person enough to accept it is another story.
God has a plan for your life and your first job before doing anything else is to discover it. No matter how much we like to think we are in control of our lives, we truly are not. The more we try to take that control of our lives away from God, the more trouble we find ourselves in.
You can stand on a mountain and shout, “I am the master of my fate! I am the
captain of my soul!” and God will laugh at you. - Van Houser
You are not in full control of your life, you never were…and you never will be!
But responsibility is another matter. Nobody is responsible for your happiness and success but you and God. If you intentionally work at finding contentment in God, happiness will never be a problem. Happiness, or unhappiness, becomes a problem in our lives when we turn to other things to make us happy, or what we think makes us happy. Happiness is about our circumstances and our circumstances will sometimes be hard and maybe for a long season. But if we find true joy and contentment in God, difficult circumstances will not steal that away. Joy and contentment will be yours regardless of your family situation, your job situation, or your friends. The joy and contentment we find in God is the only thing that will never let us down.
Nobody Owes You
It takes effort to work yourself into a life where you realize no one owes you anything. As kids we get a lot of special treatment but that goes away as an adult. We are all responsible for making our own way in this world, seeking the direction and guidance of God. Up until now you have had your life organized for you by school, church, little league, community, and family. Now it is your responsibility to organize your own life.
Above All - Work Out Your Salvation!
The most important and responsible thing you can do for your life is to make your relationship with God the number one priority in your life. It doesn’t mean that everything will be perfect, but a life built upon this foundation is what can sustain you through every trial.
To work out our salvation means to pursue obedience in the process of sanctification. After we are saved, the process of sanctification begins, and we are never done with that process until we get to heaven. The fear part is that we have a healthy respect for the majesty and holiness of God and a healthy fear of offending Him through disobedience. Working out our salvation will bring the greatest joy, peace, and strength we need to get through this life. It is for His good pleasure, and it is His good pleasure to bring good things to us when it is according to His will and purpose for our lives.
So go fly but be responsible. Think about your choices and what the consequences will be, before you act. Start building on the perfect foundation and walk with your Heavenly Father, leaning into Him for every decision and working out your salvation along the way.
