Why Another Responsibility?

At the time my daughter Esther was born, I thought I was doing everything right. I faithfully showed up daily to the same job at the local hospital. A job I got upon graduation from University. I did more than was required of me but my salary stayed the same. It seemed high at the time I took the job, but with a wife and 2 children to support, the salary had fallen grossly inadequate. To compound matters, the hospital sent me huge bills for Esther’s delivery. So in earnest, one hand was giving, and the other hand was taking away. I don’t blame them. You will agree with me that it’s hard for companies to give a raise. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.

Responsibility Breeds Provision

By first giving Abraham the solemn responsibility of sacrificing his only son, God provided a lamb. And He did it again a few hundred years later by providing His only son as a sacrificial lamb to assuage our responsibility of living holy lives. Your responsibility for righteousness collides with the provision of His son. God provides through responsibility. Back to Esther’s birth. As funds ran low, I realized that I could never provide for all the responsibility God placed in my heart on a salary alone. I needed something different. I needed a business. After work, I started shopping my IT skills as a consultant and God provided a few clients who paid me for my after hours work. Within a year, my consultancy was bringing in much more income than my day job. That’s how I grew and was able to provide not just for my family, but also for my parents, extended family and most importantly, for ministry.

Simply an Opportunity to Grow

The world would have you believe that responsibility is a bad thing. That by having a child, or taking care of your parents, or starting a ministry, that you will decrease the scarce resources you already have. In other words, responsibility is a bad thing? Lies. Christianity renews your mind into thinking that the Lord who provided the responsibility also has the provision ready. You would be stagnant without responsibility. Responsibility is a good thing. Seek around for God’s hand. Instead of saying, “Why me?” Say, “Why not me?”. Were it not for the responsibility of Esther, I would have missed my provision of starting my own business. Why embrace responsibility? Simply so you can have an opportunity to mature spiritually, and to grow materially.