## A Personal Responsibility Personal responsibility is a funny thing, a virtue but still a funny thing. It calls us to take responsibility for things that every logical conclusion would drive us to blame others. All the while personal responsibility strokes our sweat soaked hair telling us that it doesn’t make what was done to you right but you have to own your reaction and the consequences. This has been a fun lesson to teach my children. The tendency for us bipedal think machines is to look at the extenuating factors of our ever present reality and ask; who has done this to me? Though that question can be a valid query to our peers and ourselves on occasion it is often further down the road of self revelation. I submit to you that the first question we should all ask ourselves is what have I contributed to my current state emotionally and physically. I think the next question is can I do anything about my circumstances. Then do I need help? ## Everyone's Responsibility Do I need help? The answer is a resounding yes. There was a time early in my marriage that I was forced to drink the molten hot iron of depression, then again in 1.2 style parenting. That is where your spouse works late all the time and you have taken on four foster children. Needless to say that for a thirty year old my innards are made of stronger material than my 20 year old self. Iron clad resolve does not account for that fact that I need help. I am not the only one though. Everyone needs help. Help in their finances, help raising their kids, help in their education. This is every individuals responsibility we are to look after one another. The fulcrum of this thought is not that we have to help each other but that out of our own individual motivations we might reach out to our neighbor. This can not be mandatory it must be out of honest to goodness altruism and thus can’t be legislated. ## The Church's Responsibility The rubber should meet the road in the Church. Not some branded, personality driven, denomination having, live streaming, light flashing, service having church but the being washed and remade new everyday, comprised of genuine people, beloved Bride go Christ Church. What rubber am I talking about? The rubber is the altruistic, self sacrificing, joy having, God worshiping acts of kindness and mercy people of the Church. The road is the lives of our neighbors, friends and strangers and this is where the Church has failed. Do I need help? Yes I do! But more than that I need to help those around me. I need to take responsibility for my part and do the work of the Church. Not in a small group, service team or Sunday morning service. I need to everyday get on my knees and make my desires known to the Lord. I need to read his word. I need to continue to care for the least among us rejecting socialism, communism and government tyranny and standing up for my individual will to follow God fully and completely. _Photo by [Christopher Campbell](http://unsplash.com/photos/Cp-LUHPRpWM?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)_