Responsibility is an odd trait. We have responsibilities in life that are considered a given as we grow to certain ages. At some point, we are expected to feed ourselves, dress ourselves, and do our school homework. In adulthood, we are expected to support ourselves and maintain a roof over our heads financially. Most jobs have at least a verbal outline of job duties; most of the time, this is in writing.
There is a fine line between doing what we should do, going above and beyond that, and then getting into someone else’s duties.
Conflict can arise when a person might be asked to do something that is considered “not my job.” We can consider that lazy, or we can consider it being cautious. An example of caution is in health care, where licenses are required to do what is done.
An interesting situation in which probably all of us sometimes get into someone else’s duties is when we try to play God in our lives. We plead in prayer for help from God, and then we don’t take our hands off of whatever the problem is. We think He is slow in His answer, or perhaps He didn’t hear us. We are often guilty of worrying instead of resting in faith that God has it covered at the right time and in the right way.
I recently read a devotion about doing things when God releases them to us for our action. The author said that until God releases it, it is not our property but is still His. I have a friend who has a specific prayer when she is job-searching. She asks God to close doors that she should not enter and guide her to the door that is hers, open it, and close it to anyone else.
It is right and wise to do the jobs that are given to us and to do them really well. It is also right and wise to use faith to let God do His work in our lives.
