The Weight of Responsibility

According to Google, the definition of responsibility is “the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone.” In today’s Takae Talks Blog, I simply wanted to share what I’ve been learning and experiencing lately as I navigate my new season in life. It may, or may not seem shocking, but I never understood that the entire scope of adulthood, and God’s blessings, are encapsulated in one word – responsibility.

The past three months have been a period of coming to terms with the fact that I’m responsible for my life decisions and, ultimately, my destiny. There’s a scripture I really love, and reference often: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” – Joshua 1:8 NKJV

My success, my future, my destiny, and my legacy are dependent on me, and more specifically, on my commitment to the Word and Will of God for my life. I’ve quickly figured out that my decisions are almost solely based on what I deem worthy or a priority. We can make very foolish decisions because we have the wrong priorities. It’s easy to make everything and everyone important.

So, the Weight of Responsibility

I’ve taken on significantly more responsibilities than I’ve ever had in my life. By God’s grace, I just completed my first two accredited MBA courses, in addition to working full-time as a Digital Media Specialist. Also, the scope of my leadership demands has increased, as a youth and young adult leader at my church. It’s evident that in this season, my priorities have been ministry, career, and academics.

My days can often entail waking up early for work, doing homework on my lunch break, and having leadership and school meetings at night. And with all the weight I’m carrying, I can confidently say I am built for this. I never knew I had this much capacity. I’m constantly asking myself how I will do it all. How am I doing it all now? Truly, I can say God’s grace is sufficient for who and what He’s called me to.

The question you may be asking yourself as you read this is, How do you bear the weight of responsibility? And that’s just the question I’m looking to answer for you.

Understand Your Responsibilities

First and foremost, it’s premium to understand what exactly you are responsible for. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by tasks and roles that aren’t truly yours. Worse, is when you begin to pick up responsibilities, especially unknowingly, that someone else has dropped. My question to you today is are you operating within your grace and calling? And this question isn’t one of convenience or even liking. The truth is that it’s possible that you won’t enjoy all of what God’s called you to do in this season. As much as I believe that God has called me to get an MBA degree, I am not necessarily looking forward to all of the math courses. I may not like the class, but I still have to pass in order to get to the next level.

The same is true for life. There are some things you may not like, but in order for you to get to the next level God has ordained for you, it’s imperative that you pass! Don’t fail your season because it’s “inconvenient” or you don’t “feel like it.”

Different seasons require different things from you. It’s possible for responsibilities to change because your priorities have shifted. Practically, it’s important for you to consistently check in with yourself to know exactly what you should be doing and why you are doing it. From experience, I’ve found it helpful to have monthly resets and quarterly reviews. During this time, I ask myself hard questions and determine whether I’m on track with the vision God has given me for my season, year, and life. Everyone has a God ordained purpose, and fulfilling it requires both intentionality and boundaries.

Set Parameters For Your Passion

Some of the hardest boundaries to honor are the ones you set with yourself. The truth is that it’s incredibly hard to tell yourself no. A quote by John Maxwell that I absolutely love is, “We can do anything, but we can't do everything. Many people let everyone around them decide their agenda in life. As a result, they never really dedicate themselves to their purpose in life. They become a jack-of-all-trades, master of none rather than a jack-of-few-trades, focused on one.”

It’s very tempting to do everything simply because you can. Or even more often, do all that you discover you’re good at. But it’s impossible to be responsible and excellent at many things. Your life requires a clear focus.

One area of my life that I’ve quickly discovered my one thing is within my career. This took years to fully understand and honestly lots of tears and prayer, but now I know. I entered undergrad thinking that I’d do a marketing major and obtain my MBA through a five-year program. Although early on, I discovered that I really didn’t like my classes, but I loved Journalism instead. I’m passionate about research, asking questions, production, and social media. I switched my major and graduated with my degree in Journalism and Media Studies. I then thought I’d venture off into film school for three years and come out as Hollywood’s best director; however, God simply had other plans. After applying to two graduate MFA programs, in both Film and Writing, I wasn’t admitted. But around December of last year, I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to try again, and I did. I went for business, the thing I always had a knack for, and returned back to my first love, Marketing.

Sometimes, when I reflect on my decision to pursue a different undergraduate degree and not follow through with the five-year program, I think perhaps I should’ve. However, I remain confident in knowing that I made the right decision because at that time, I’d sought the Lord and wise counsel for clarity as to switching majors. And I know I made the right decision – it reflected in the opportunities I was presented, the excellent grades I received, and the heart I had towards the work. I always knew I wouldn’t want to do hardcore journalism, but it was something about storytelling that really ignited a passion in me.

Currently, at my job, I do a lot of content production and marketing strategy – quite frankly, exactly what I prayed for. The work I do feels almost effortless. Not to say it isn’t challenging or hard work, because it definitely is. But the work I do is within my grace and calling. My prayer to God has always been, God, please don’t allow me to have to work a job I hate. And truly, I can say He’s honored me. But even with God’s part, my part has been setting parameters for my passion. What sparks your interest? What can you do with your eyes closed? What truly gets your creative juices flowing? Stay in that place of grace.

Imagine if I were still trying to do film production and fiction writing in addition to marketing – I’d be confused, overwhelmed, and underperforming. We live in a generation that loves starting new things, making new Instagram pages, and grand announcements. But what’s the one thing you’ll be able to do for a long time that you can be deemed a master in? Find it and stick to it!

Devour Knowledge and Develop Skills

Although it may seem odd to think of it this way, you must devour knowledge. Devour means to hungrily consume. When you devour something, it’s evident that you were very hungry, and maybe even desperate for it. The weight of your responsibilities requires you to devour knowledge and develop skills.

An area of my life where I’ve found this to be indispensable is in the area of my leadership. By God’s grace, I’m coming up on my second year as a core leader at my church, and I’ve learned many important values through various hard realities. One thing that’s much needed as a leader is a daily necessity to acquire knowledge. The truth is that the moment those you lead catch up to you, you’re rendered ineffective, irrelevant, and useless. It’s my responsibility to maintain a well full of fresh water for all who come to easily drink from. But how many times do people come to you, and you realize that your well is tapped dry – or worse, tainted with impurities…

Being a ministry leader requires both the continuous growth of spiritual knowledge and matters, as well as practical and effective skill development. This means I must be intentional and sacrificial. Something I often say is that you can’t lead people to an altar you haven’t first laid your life down on. The truth is that great callings require even greater sacrifices. Sacrifice all that you can to remain at the cutting edge in your ministry, calling, assignment, and industry. Don’t allow laziness, offense, or ignorance to cause you to miss your next level. A quote my Pastor often says is "God is the only employer that can fire you and still use you." This rings true for many Biblical examples, like King Saul, whose kingship was surrendered to David. Do you have the knowledge and skill your next level demands? The higher you go, the more demanding it gets.

A quote I read recently said, “What you give your life to matters.” What have you been giving your life to? Does the way you spend your time, money, and energy reflect your key priorities and responsibilities?

Practically, to devour knowledge, you should read books, attend conferences, and have a mentor. You can also take courses, watch videos, and listen to podcasts. But most importantly, apply the knowledge you acquire. If you read five books and attend 10 conferences, but nothing changes in your life, that means that you’re failing to apply the knowledge you’ve received. Devouring knowledge means processing what you learn and finding ways to apply it.

Developing skills is no different – it calls for intentionality, dedication, and time. Allow yourself to be challenged. Fail, and try again. The most successful people didn’t stop at where they last failed. In bearing the weight of your responsibilities, it’s highly likely that you won’t get it right all the time, and that’s okay. Don’t allow yourself to be discouraged; simply get up and try again.

In the past few months of adjusting and transitioning, I’ve made mistakes, questioned my decisions, and gotten discouraged. But I refuse to give up. It’s not always about what you carry but how you carry it. The next level that you’re praying for will be weighty – can you handle it? It’s easy to pray for the blessing, but it’s hard to tend to it. The truth is that every blessing you receive is simply more responsibility. God can bless those He trusts. Can God trust you with more?

A scripture I’d like to leave you with is Luke 12:47-48 MSG, “The servant who knows what his master wants and ignores it, or insolently does whatever he pleases, will be thoroughly thrashed. But if he does a poor job through ignorance, he’ll get off with a slap on the hand. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!”