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| Discovering Personal Responsibility by Cadi Nobles |
| Let not thine heart envy sinners (Prov. 23:17) Sometimes we have much more control over our own bodies and minds than we would like to believe. It’s an odd part of our characters, but often we would like to feel ‘out-of-control’, even when we aren’t. The thought process is that if something is irresistible, we will not he held accountable for our own actions. Adolescence may be the most obvious example of this pattern. Teenagers often use the excuse that they just “have” to have something or be able to go somewhere. Throughout the difficult teen years, many of the disappointments we experience are centered around the discovery of personal responsibility. Even later in life, many of us, can tell our own unique experiences in accepting and dealing with responsibility for the first time. From having to face Dad after wrecking the car, or getting fired for poor work habits. A big part of the teenage years involve accepting the responsibility that we all have in common. There is, of course, a real reluctance to acknowledge this responsibility. It’s so easy to make ourselves believe that we should not really be held accountable for the worst part of our natures. These years (and lessons) are crucial, however. All the serious problems and situations that first meet us during those teen years, will continue to accompany us through life. Our battles with peer pressure, chemical dependencies, involvement in poor relationships, and many other things only begin during adolescence. They continue for a lifetime. And yet, in our deepest beings, we know the choices that we make. How the biggest problems often begin with the smallest infraction of moral conduct. Our key verse for this week deals with this very issue. “Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.” (Proverbs 23:17) The wisdom shown here is incredible. It’s not just partaking in the ways of the world that causes a stumbling block, it’s allowing yourself to begin envying their ways in the first place that provides the door of temptation. If our hearts are controlled and our desires reigned in, we have little chance of falling into the wrong path. Perhaps this teaching of personal responsibility seems a bit strange in today’s world. After all, we have become a culture that thrives on trying to shift the blame. Finding another cause for problems, other than ourselves, is all the ‘rage’ in today’s society. Science scans our brains and checks the genic codes. In courtrooms all across the country, even the most violent criminals are being played as the victims. Trapped by chemical mix-ups and poor genic ‘breeding,’ it’s argued that the rape, robbery, and murder they commit should be viewed as symptoms of a problem, rather than an issue of right and wrong. Personal responsibility is considered old-school; an outcast vestige of the last generation. And yet, this may also prove to be the best example so far. As the evidence of our reluctance to be responsible seeps farther into society, we can see the results everywhere we look. Abortion upon demand is common, stealing is the workplace is par-for-the-course, lying to friends and co-workers is all but expected. We are little more than a nation of thieves and scoundrels that make up the rules as we go. In a carefree world that promotes greed and envy. Resistance to these seem outdated. Yet, as much as we would like to change the facts, we can’t. Allowing our hearts to envy the way of sinners, breeds temptation. Temptation, when it is entertained, will eventually lead to sin. “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:15) |
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