HOW RESPONSIBLE

I’ve wondered a lot lately where the middle ground is between being irresponsible and getting lost in your responsibilities. On the one hand, I am aware that one can be too responsible, in the sense that you get so caught up in doing stuff that you lose track of trusting God and enjoying life. On the other hand, there are certain things that aren’t fun but that need to get done, and to neglect them isn’t to be carefree and faithful but to be negligent and disobedient.

You hear all the time about people who realize their work has become too much, so they drastically alter their lives, get home at a decent hour, and simplify their responsibilities. You hear about Christians who say no to the idols of busyness and accomplishments, and choose instead to value rest, time with family, and peace with God. And as a workaholic, I am sensitive to the need to do these things, and to be balanced.

But sometimes I roll my eyes at such thoughts. They smack of laziness, or of choosing the easy way. Somebody has to do what nobody wants to do. Not doing something that is important but burdensome just means someone else has to do it. And as the person who ends up doing that thing, maybe I’m just venting a little bitterness that others who say no get off looking like the saint, while I get left feeling like the sinner.

So what’s it going to be? Say no to things and let some other unlucky soul deal with the burden? Or say yes and drive myself into the ground with busy work and endless tasks? I’d like to say I’m on the opposite side of such a dilemma: that I am faithful in my responsibleness, but have a category for taking time to rest. And yet actions speak louder than words, and here I am blogging when I ought to be sleeping. So here’s where I stop.