Take Two...and a Cry for Help

   Who can know the mind of God?

   That seems to be my question this morning as I think about the second word in my post from yesterday. I wrote about Opportunity on that last foggy morning, and today I want to focus on Responsibility. But it is not enough just to zoom in on that one word, my thoughts go back to how it might relate to yesterday's post.

   If I say that God does indeed bring opportunities into my life, for me to grasp and live out, and sometimes to pass by and not even notice, there could be another way that I can treat these occasions. What if I see an opportunity right in front of me and deliberately fail to respond? What if I realize that there is something out there, but put on blinders and don't acknowledge that it exists?

   But, of course, there are at least two kinds of opportunities, ones that God brings to bless us in obedience to His desires and ones that are bad and sinful in nature.

   What of the second word in this trio from yesterday, Responsibility, in relation to these opportunities?

   I know I have the duty to, first of all, ask God to let me see opportunities for what they are and their ability to either be a blessing or a curse. Then I need to act in accordance to what He shows me about each one, shunning the bad but embracing the good.

   But doing the culling and accepting does not seem to be the end of the process. Once He has pointed out to me the ways that are in my power to bless, or serve, then the Responsibility deepens. First comes the opportunity, it is recognized and accepted as mine, but I also have the ability to decide how much effort to put into the implementation of it.

   How many times have I heard "If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right"? Performance to anything less than my best is a disservice, both to God and to me.

   So I have the Responsibility to be aware of the way God is leading, to see what He puts in my path, to act in accordance with what He shows, and to do it the best I can, with His help.

   Fortunately there is this verse from Psalm 34, as written in The Message:

   "Is anyone crying for help? God is listening,
ready to rescue you."

   Help!