March | Responsibility
Taking care of tasks or items given to you.
Answering for your decisions and behaviors.
Causing an action.
Acting in the way God expects us to act.
Caring for the people and things in our lives in ways that honor God.
Valuable Verses
“Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.” Philemon 1:7 (25 in 25 Verse)
“For we are each responsible for our own conduct.” Galatians 6:5
“Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.” Romans 14:12
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24
A Word of Encouragement
When was the last time you saw a baby take out the trash or cook dinner? What? Never?! Of course not. Babies do not have the skills or maturity to handle those responsibilities. They cannot take care of things, they need to be taken care of all the time. One of the benefits of growing up is getting to do more things on your own and not having to wait for someone else to do them for you. As you learn new skills, show that you can be obedient with what you know, and take care of the things given to you, you show that you can be trusted to take care of more things. When chores, tasks, or assignments are given to us, the person giving them is saying that they trust us to be able to do those things well. Will we mess up with that sometimes? Sure. But admitting that we messed up and making a plan to do better the next time is part of growing in responsibility.
Get the Conversation Going
Take a moment to discuss these questions as a family:
• What are some responsibilities that each member of your family has?
• Look at a few of those individually: What would happen if they didn’t get done?
• How would that make the rest of the family feel?
• What does it say about you when the things for which you are responsible are taken care of well?
Gospel Connection
All of us have to take ownership of our own actions. That means, we have to admit when we mess up God’s plans - when we sin. The great news for us as believers is, when we take that responsibility and bring it to God, He forgives us! That allows us to move forward without the weight of guilt holding us back. When we become Christians, we also are given a responsibility to tell others about the great gift God offers of salvation through Jesus. How can we handle that responsibility well?
Be sure to check the monthly activity page for age-appropriate ideas and ways to practice responsibility.
