Dear Friends,
‘Responsibility.’ Responsibility is one of those words that we are not always excited to hear. We see it as a laborious word, a word that brings us shivers and sweats. Responsibility can be an exciting prospect. It is exciting to think of being able to make a change and bring new life to projects and areas of life. However, it can also be very daunting as the possibility for positive change has a counterbalance capacity for negative change.
Former US president Franklin D. Roosevelt said that ‘Great power involves great responsibility.’ Or, to turn it around, we see that responsibility comes with power. Roosevelt understood that positions of power and leadership come with an equal level of responsibility – there is an interwoven relationship between the two. Power of course is not just about authority and title, but at the heart of power is the ability to make things happen. Power always comes with a choice, and the task of those who possess power is to determine how to exercise it. This is where the responsibility lies. The capacity to choose, influence, and direct actions can be used to achieve various ends. Responsibility asks us to consider what ends we choose to pursue.
I’ve taken on the responsibility of being curate in charge of Langham. It has been both an exciting prospect, but also daunting. So much of my ministry in Langham has been alongside Simon as our double act. But now Simon has finished his Curacy and the baton of curate in charge has been passed onto me. With this new role, I have expanded my leadership role in Langham and that naturally comes with more responsibilities. So, I am left contemplating ‘What ends am I going to pursue in my new role?’ How am I going to exercise my responsibilities?
In our concluding Langham bible study session on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, (insert link) we were talking about our responsibility as Christians. As Christians we have a responsibility to bear one another’s burdens, to look after and support one another, which includes challenging them when they are doing something wrong. Additionally, as Christians, we have a responsibility to examine ourselves and our own actions, and we should start with ourselves first. These two responsibilities towards ourselves and others compel us to remember that we must take these things into consideration before making any decision.
As a child, we all looked forward to becoming an adult because for our child-self, being an adult meant that you could do whatever you want. Then when you become an adult, you realise that though you can do whatever you want, that doesn’t mean that we should. In fact, becoming an adult we discover that there are many new responsibilities that come with the adult power of self-determinism. The greater impact and consequences of our actions forces us to evaluate our actions and choose accordingly. As people, particularly in modern western culture, we naturally ask: ‘what is the best action for me?’ However, as Christians we evaluate our actions by considering the impact on others as well. Non-Christians consider the impact on others too (that’s a given), however, there is a specific directive set by God for us to bear one another’s burdens. It is not just a nice thing, but our God given responsibility to our fellow believer.
My question to you this week is how are you exercising your responsibilities to yourself and to others? You might think that you don’t have any responsibilities or power, but this is not true. The truth is that we all possess a degree of power in ourselves, though different people have different amounts of power depending on numerable factors. The key thing for each of us is to acknowledge our power and consider what is the way to exercise my responsibility for ourselves and for others. In doing this we partake in our Christian calling to one another, and we also follow grow in Christlikeness. For Christ contained all the power of universe but chose to lay it all down for our sake. That is how Christ exercised the responsibility of his power, and we are to do likewise.
Every blessing,
Shakeel
Shakeel Nurmahi 