Reason #583
Aaron and I talk a lot about having a family. I realize we've only been married 3 months, so that may seem soon. Not to worry, we don't talk about having a family anytime soon, rather we talk about it happening a while from now. Because family is a big responsibility that requires serious thought and preparation. I read a little side note in my bible tonight that said, "All blessings carry responsibility so do not pray for the first if you're not ready for the second."
Before I got Scout, I didn't know a thing about what it meant to be fully responsible and care for something that is completely dependent on you. And I realize children aren't like pets, but I also realize that if you can't take care of something such as a pet, how do you take care of a person? And so I had to learn a different kind of responsibility that was never required of me before. I had to learn how to care for something I had never had before, and thank goodness most of the hard work was over in about 6 or 8 weeks.
A few weeks into having Scout, I wasn't so sure I was glad I had signed myself up for a puppy. I mean she was really cute and all, but she also woke me up a lot during the night. She went to the bathroom in the house more than I would have liked, and I had to constantly watch her. A suggestion was made that I didn't have to keep her. Since she was causing all of this extra work, I could just give her back to the breeder and let someone else take care of her. Of course, in the wee hours of the morning as I was stumbling out of bed to take her outside, that didn't sound like such a bad idea. But I quickly responded that if I didn't want a pet, I wouldn't have agreed to take her home in the first place. This wasn't a "trial period" to see if I really wanted to do this. I told the breeder that I would not only take her home with me, but I also assured her that I would take good care of her. I would nurture her, keep her safe, keep her healthy, and give her the best dog life I possibly could. Anyone with a brain knows that puppies are hard work, and if you didn't know that already, let me just tell you, puppies are hard work. And anytime you take a living, breathing thing into your home to care for it, you must know that it most definitely carries responsibility.
Sometimes I look around and I get really discouraged by peoples' home lives. I get tired of seeing people give up on their marriages. I get tired of witnessing poor parenting. Of hearing stories about children who are neglected and abused. I am sick of seeing people drop the ball over and over and over again and not even caring about it. Living life as if everything is just a "trial" and having the mindset that if you don't enjoy it, if you don't like, if it becomes too hard for you, just stop. Abandon your family, you can get another one that might make you happier. Give up on your kids. Let the school, the government, or the church raise them. You didn't really want that responsibility anyway. You just thought marriage would be fun and babies would be cute. But somehow your spouse challenged you too much, your kids stressed you out, and so you just walked away. Your responsibility was bigger than you initially thought it would be and so you decided rather than stepping up you'd just let someone else deal with them, let them take care of themselves. Forget the fact that these people were entrusted to you. You asked for them. You agreed to marry them, you agreed to create them, but you changed your mind and so why should you have to follow through with the responsibilities you created for yourself?
What if the Lord did this to us? What if He looked at His children and said, "You know what, you guys really annoy me. You don't make me happy half of the time and you create so much work for me. You take more than you give and I'm just tired of it. I'm tired of the responsibility that comes with being the Creator of the universe. I am tired of the responsibility that comes with being the giver of life, and the forgiver of sins. You're on your own. Clean up your own mess. Provide for yourselves. Learn how to keep the earth spinning in motion so that you can survive. I know that I promised you I'd take care of you, but I have changed my mind because it's just too much. I'm going to do something else that makes me happier. Sorry it had to end like this."
Relationships come with responsibility. Responsibility requires work. If you don't want to do this, then don't ask for it. But praise the Lord that He never stops being responsible for us. That He never gives up or slacks on His duties. That all He promised to do, He has done and will do. Because He understood when He created us that it was going to be a lot of work. He understood that this wasn't going to be easy and fun and carefree. No, He chose that and He chose us. And even though I'm still responsible for Scout, I wouldn't give her up for any amount of money in the world. Sure, I had to put in a lot of work up front and will have to care for her until she is no more, but I'll gladly do it. A few weeks of frustration and exhaustion pale in comparison to the joy she has brought to my life, and so it was worth it. And I'd like to think the Lord thinks the same way about His children, too. It was worth it enough for Him to send His son for us, and we can rest in knowing that He will be responsible to care for us until we finally make it home to Him.
#583 - Because He always upholds His responsibilities to care for His children.
"Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct." - Galatians 6:4-5
Before I got Scout, I didn't know a thing about what it meant to be fully responsible and care for something that is completely dependent on you. And I realize children aren't like pets, but I also realize that if you can't take care of something such as a pet, how do you take care of a person? And so I had to learn a different kind of responsibility that was never required of me before. I had to learn how to care for something I had never had before, and thank goodness most of the hard work was over in about 6 or 8 weeks.
A few weeks into having Scout, I wasn't so sure I was glad I had signed myself up for a puppy. I mean she was really cute and all, but she also woke me up a lot during the night. She went to the bathroom in the house more than I would have liked, and I had to constantly watch her. A suggestion was made that I didn't have to keep her. Since she was causing all of this extra work, I could just give her back to the breeder and let someone else take care of her. Of course, in the wee hours of the morning as I was stumbling out of bed to take her outside, that didn't sound like such a bad idea. But I quickly responded that if I didn't want a pet, I wouldn't have agreed to take her home in the first place. This wasn't a "trial period" to see if I really wanted to do this. I told the breeder that I would not only take her home with me, but I also assured her that I would take good care of her. I would nurture her, keep her safe, keep her healthy, and give her the best dog life I possibly could. Anyone with a brain knows that puppies are hard work, and if you didn't know that already, let me just tell you, puppies are hard work. And anytime you take a living, breathing thing into your home to care for it, you must know that it most definitely carries responsibility.
Sometimes I look around and I get really discouraged by peoples' home lives. I get tired of seeing people give up on their marriages. I get tired of witnessing poor parenting. Of hearing stories about children who are neglected and abused. I am sick of seeing people drop the ball over and over and over again and not even caring about it. Living life as if everything is just a "trial" and having the mindset that if you don't enjoy it, if you don't like, if it becomes too hard for you, just stop. Abandon your family, you can get another one that might make you happier. Give up on your kids. Let the school, the government, or the church raise them. You didn't really want that responsibility anyway. You just thought marriage would be fun and babies would be cute. But somehow your spouse challenged you too much, your kids stressed you out, and so you just walked away. Your responsibility was bigger than you initially thought it would be and so you decided rather than stepping up you'd just let someone else deal with them, let them take care of themselves. Forget the fact that these people were entrusted to you. You asked for them. You agreed to marry them, you agreed to create them, but you changed your mind and so why should you have to follow through with the responsibilities you created for yourself?
What if the Lord did this to us? What if He looked at His children and said, "You know what, you guys really annoy me. You don't make me happy half of the time and you create so much work for me. You take more than you give and I'm just tired of it. I'm tired of the responsibility that comes with being the Creator of the universe. I am tired of the responsibility that comes with being the giver of life, and the forgiver of sins. You're on your own. Clean up your own mess. Provide for yourselves. Learn how to keep the earth spinning in motion so that you can survive. I know that I promised you I'd take care of you, but I have changed my mind because it's just too much. I'm going to do something else that makes me happier. Sorry it had to end like this."
Relationships come with responsibility. Responsibility requires work. If you don't want to do this, then don't ask for it. But praise the Lord that He never stops being responsible for us. That He never gives up or slacks on His duties. That all He promised to do, He has done and will do. Because He understood when He created us that it was going to be a lot of work. He understood that this wasn't going to be easy and fun and carefree. No, He chose that and He chose us. And even though I'm still responsible for Scout, I wouldn't give her up for any amount of money in the world. Sure, I had to put in a lot of work up front and will have to care for her until she is no more, but I'll gladly do it. A few weeks of frustration and exhaustion pale in comparison to the joy she has brought to my life, and so it was worth it. And I'd like to think the Lord thinks the same way about His children, too. It was worth it enough for Him to send His son for us, and we can rest in knowing that He will be responsible to care for us until we finally make it home to Him.
#583 - Because He always upholds His responsibilities to care for His children.
"Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct." - Galatians 6:4-5
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