The encouragement, almost urgent, that I tend to express in my writing is that we all need to be actively engaged in living our life – a theme which I often return. Recently I was reading one of my favorite authors and she wrote, “…the responsibility for living a life.” (Jacqueline Winspear) I probably would have said, living is our responsibility. But there was an additional perception that emerged. Too often, I believe, we get weary of living our lives and want to just stop, if only for a moment, and not pick up the responsibility… just a moment of rest. (Not gonna happen.)
However, why is living a responsibility? And, why would we not want to be involved and engaged in our own lives? Let me ask this slightly different… do you ever wish that you could turn to your parents and let them tell you what to do? And if you followed what they said, it would be their responsibility for any failure… but also the success. Regardless, it wouldn’t be yours. Ever feel like that? Even wistfully? It’s OK – while your life is your responsibility, this is not an easy place to live in and sometimes we just need a little help.
Ultimately, regardless of the source of suggestion of what to do, it is you and only you that makes the decision about what you do… do. Even when you don’t make a decision, this IS a decision. To repeat, it begins and ends with You. What do you want to do? Is this the best approach to have a positive end? How can you effect the decision for the desired result? The moments of rest are few and far between but you can still act with confidence.
The beginning and ending does end with You but you aren’t in this by yourself. In the rush of the moment and the ‘heat of battle’, trying to do everything by yourself is quite self-defeating when you have ‘one who sticks closer than a brother’ with you. Why do we not immediately turn to the Lord rather than waiting till the last moment with a kind of ‘oh, that’s right, I can ask the Lord for (fill in the blank)’. The one unalterable fact is that He does want the best for us. He will help us find a way through in times of difficulties. So involve Him at the start and then your beginnings and endings with produce the perfect end.
