Day 176- Personal Responsibility

📖Daily Reading

 Ezekiel 16-22

🎥 Video  

Join me on my morning walk as we rise and shine together by walking through the Bible daily and learn a practical applicable coaching nugget from the ultimate life coach - our creator (whatever that means to you). No judgement zone here, all are welcome, we are all on a spiritual journey because we are after all spiritual beings having a human experience.

 

📝 Reflection 

Ezekiel 18: 20-22 

   The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for  the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness. But if wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die. All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done.

 

Well this is pretty clear. We are all responsible for our own lives, choices and outcomes. No excuses, victimhood or blame game allowed. In the Old Testament we have also been clearly told the that there are generational curses and that the sins of the father will fall on the children. So how do we reconcile these two seemingly opposing messages?

I don’t think they are as much in opposition as it seems. It is human nature to desire to belong to the group. Existing and relating to each other in this capacity we develop strong bonds and love for either. We are all teachers and people of influence whether we intend to be or not, and conversely we are always be taught and influenced. So we pass on from generation to generation our beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, values, political views, sense of identity, purpose etc… This is either a blessing or a curse or a mixture. 

For most of us it is a mixed up mess, with each generation it gets more mixed and potentially more messy. My mom always used the phrase ‘monkey see money do’. I think we have all heard the argument from our parents when we were teens ‘if all your friends decided to jump off a bridge, would you do it too?’. And yet, metaphorically we do jump off those bridges because we see our friends and loved ones doing it. We don’t want to be 'other than', left behind, or not belong etc..  So we often engage in ‘wickedness’ not even seeing it as such.

If our people are doing it and we know them in general to be good, decent and loving people then we might not judge or see the behavior as bad. In general rightly or wrongly we don’t like to see behavior as being bad because we are afraid that it might change how we feel about the people and we don’t want to do that. We want to be in stable relationships, for better or worse.

For many of us though we know that there is something wrong about some of the ways we are being and things we are doing for whatever reason. We feel it in our guts, minds, hearts, bodies etc.. and we begin to feel conflicted. This is often referred to as a divided mind or cognitive dissonance - trying to hold on to two beliefs at the same time, you believe one way in your head/heart but you are doing something that betrays this belief. There are generally a few responses to this; ignore and excuse it, be a victim and blame, pick up a coping strategy to help you deal with your duplicity, or take personal responsibility. 

Personal responsibility is always the best choice, but it is also the hardest. With it you are also choosing possible rejection, a lot of work, loneliness, misunderstanding, judgement, humiliation. There is a reason it is referred to as the ‘road less traveled’ and the ‘narrow gate’. As we are talking about Godly personal responsibility we need to not confuse this for worldly ‘can do’ prideful independence. I think many of us can get confused.

The Godly personal responsibility or righteousness is the path of the ‘meek’. Meekness is not weakness no more than ‘prideful self righteous independence’ is strength. Stay humble on your path of personal responsibility and be self aware and own your faults, blindspots, temptations and tendencies. Humbleness and humility are prerequisites just as pride comes before the fall. 

✍🏼Daily Journal Prompt 

Are you confusing personal responsibility with prideful independence and strength? Are you concerned with your image and performing? Are you afraid of appearing weak to others? Is your pride getting in your way? Have you thought of humility as strength?

📖Tomorrows Reading

 Ezekiel 23-43

Coaching Opportunity

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