Quality of the Man – Responsibility

If you ask enough women, you could get the impression that there are not enough good men about.  (Of course, likewise, there are some men who complain about their women … not that I’m in that number of course.  I love my wife!  Is that alright Authrine?  Can you remove your hands so that I may go free?  Thanks.  Don’t know if we’ll procreate again, but the liberty to walk, albeit gingerly is greatly appreciated.  What do you mean you don’t want me blogging this?  Of course I won’t.  I wouldn’t dream of it.)

I was reading something about someone … yet to be revealed … that got me thinking about some qualities of a man that might go towards helping the poor sisters to see real men emerge after all.  Having explored consistency and also recently taken a look at creativity, I came across what’s got to be a major player in this issue.

Responsibility: I so wish I’d have come across this word and dwelt on it a lot more in my earlier days on the planet.  It sounds like such a grown up word and it is, but it’s not one that’s meant to be untouched until that funny age of turning to manhood.

I mean, I’ve said it before, but I’m happy to say it again – look at the word.  Responsibility.  Ability to respond.  Remember your Sesame Street logic of putting words together, break it down understand each bit and then see what happens when it fits together.

(Diversion: You ever noticed other words that are two or more words put together?  I was thinking about that the other day, when I read some geezer using something like ‘heretofore’ or something silly like that.  I mean its like a merger of two companies when you see them together.  Forces combine to produce something even bigger.  It’s like super hero team ups like JLA or the Avengers.  Sometimes it can really get crazy and some are best left tot the written expression rather than use in every day language.  Don’t take my word for it, you check it for yourself, those little blighters popping up here and there with words connected together that you know you won’t be using in a phone chat with your mate about the things of life.  ‘Whereupon’ whoever uses that word in a conversation?  ‘Howbeit’ now there’s a merger of three forces together in a tremendous trio kind of way.)

When you consider that this is what responsibility is about that should already get the brain engaged with the following questions – to whom am I responding?  How am I able to respond?  The first one comes first and the first one to whom you respond must always be the creator and in His wisdom He says the initial response to everything to do with Him is love, praise, adoration and worship.  Get that bit sorted first and everything flows from that.

That’s not about being contrived in our engagements.  If you’ve had a rough day and been battered emotionally and mentally, you don’t have to put it on for God – why bother faking it before the Omniscient One?  It is about, however, getting in gear with who life is lived in the light of, and recognising that should help us get to the place where our focus reverts on Him who can take us places in our spirit to get that consolation and restoration we need.  Yet it is crucial to start here in our responsive action, because it is in the light of here that we are able to answer the second question.  It’s like the other key terms, when we go to the source, get the lead, get the instruction, then slowly but surely other parts of the jigsaw fall into place.

As we respond to God and recognise the vertical responsibilities then the horizontal emerge as just as important to engage with as they are an expression of the vertical.  The order is important, though, or we can get caught up in thinking we’re doing God a favour in helping others out, when in actuality we’ve missed where He wants us to be, because that is not the first place of responsibility.

This is very much linked with the word humility, because our ability to respond to God comes from an acknowledgement of our complete dependence on Him … for everything … completely.  Humility says that I am who I am because He is who He is and he makes me who I am.  No Him, no me, to know me you’ve got to get to know Him.  Disconnecting these realities get us unstuck with the fallacies of mediocre life as magnificent.

Connecting with God, being responsive to Him and taking things from there are some crucial qualities of a man that I see lived out and put my focus back where it belongs.  Not on comparing myself with others, but on seeing myself as God sees me and thus moving where He calls me to move and being who He has designed me to be.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd