June 30, 2006

“Care-Less Living: Ain’t No Way!”

The world I grew up in highly valued RESPONSIBILITY. As a matter of fact the “responsible one” always won the prize. If you made your bed you were considered responsible. If you picked up your clothes your were responsible. If you did your chores you were responsible.

I knew responsibility was important by people’s reaction to my care-less living. One irresponsible act would draw corrective fire from multiple directions. The message was clear – be responsible to be accepted. So I did.

I became “super-responsible”. The reason for this was simple; it would win the approval of the adults around me. Being responsible meant being loved.

Then I met Jesus and he disrupted my idea of responsibility. As I read His words and learned to hear His voice I was shocked at his invitation to be “responsible for me.” This idea collided with the curriculum I had learned from childhood, namely BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF! I was confused.

The Christians around me added to my confusion. They lived very “responsible” lives. None of them slipped into “care-less living,” at least not in public.

So what was I to do? My Teacher, Jesus, invited me to a type of life I had never seen lived. Do you know what I mean? To allow Him to be responsible for me would take an entrepreneurial step of faith.

For the longest I was paralyzed by the inner conflict of these opposing ideas. Listen to my inner-dialogue.

Responsible Me: “You are suppose to be responsible and in charge of your life.”

Care-Less Me: “But what about when Jesus said, ‘His Father feeds birds and I am more valuable than birds.’ He wants to take care of me.”

Responsible Me: “That can’t be true. Everyone we know says YOU are responsible for you!”

Care-Less Me: “You are right but what am I to do with the words of Jesus?”

Responsible Me: “I don’t know. But care-less living is going to fail you I promise.”

Care-Less Me: “I know what you mean . . . but Jesus seems to be saying He wants to be responsible for me.”

Can you relate to this conversation? Can you feel the tension it created? I assume you are like me. You want to follow Jesus. Yet the way is not always clear. Sometime His words wage war on what you have been taught by your family and by your church.

And that’s OK. I will end today’s blog with some basic principals about care-less living.

Care-Less Living Principals
1. Being responsible means I am in control. Being in control means I must be god of my life. I am sure I don’t qualify for this. I am omni-deficient (I am not omnipotent, omnipresent, or omniscient).

2. My family and the church’s version of responsibility must be questioned if not rejected. I must ask Jesus to expose the lie and teach me the truth.

3. The idea of responsibility that was hammered into me has become a massive barrier to trusting and relying on my Savior. What I learned as “responsibility” was a sin. Let me explain. Paul says in Romans 14:23b “. . . that which is not of faith is sin.” In other words when I trust me and mistrust God it is sin. My version of being responsible was a form of self-trust therefore it was and is sin.

4. Responsibility shields me from the horror of total dependence on Jesus. Yes, I said “horror!” To trust Jesus means to mistrust me. And mistrusting me is terrifying, especially when I have been taught to be “god” of my life (responsible for ALL of my life.)

5. I do not have an experiential map for care-less living. This means I don’t know the way. But if Jesus is responsible for me He will show me the way.

6. Don’t expect others to understand and affirm you. Pursuing deep dependency on Jesus (care-less living) will have the opposite effect . . . you will offend and threaten them.

“Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.” Matthew 6:26 (The Message)

2 Comments:

At 11:01 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

would you comment some more on #2 of your principles?

 
At 12:41 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks Dr. Paul, I needed to hear that. I've been sensing (and still do) a dark cloud that just doesn't seem to go away. I think it has much to do with how small i know myself to be and my fear that someone may find out! If I were only to learn to trust Jesus consistently!

 

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