Role versus Responsibility

Merry Christmas everyone! 

I hope you are having an fulfilling and restful holiday. I definitely have been enjoying time with my family home in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Here's a fun picture of us at beautiful local park, Bowering Park. It's my mom, dad, brother and I :) 

While I've been home, I have been reading a new book, one that I received for Christmas :) It's called, "How's Your Soul" by Judah Smith. It is fantastic and thought provoking so far. I want to share with you one of the principals I have been learning about. 

Role versus Responsibility. 

Sometimes we are so focused on our "role" ...  job description, position, specific tasks, career path and so on... 

We get caught up in the ladder of career, jobs and success, thinking that "happiness" and "fulfilment" and "success" is found in surpassing our current role to another role, and then another role until we somehow MAKE IT at the top. We associate our influence and impact with our specific role and rank rather than our responsibility. 

In Judah's book, he says this: "The joy is not in the role. The joy is in the responsibility." 

He goes on to say this... "Don't wait for a certain role to come along. Your souls happiness and health is not dependant upon a role. Your soul was designed to do whatever you do with everything within it. It needs responsibility to be healthy, and there is a good chance that responsibility is right in front of you."

I love how he defines EVERYONES responsibility as this: doing whatever you do with everything within you, as if unto the Lord. Taking that perspective prioritizing our nature of responsibility rather than the popularity of our role, unleashes true influence and impact in our lives. Not to mention joy, contentment, and steadfastness not based on getting the "hot" role. 

I've been on a journey of learning and understanding that the impact that I make and the influence that I may have, is not dependant on my specific job (although thankfully I see that fruit in my job as well...) but first and foremost it is found in the mere responsibility we have (I have) been given as Christians, as Christ followers. To do whatever I am doing with everything within me, as unto the Lord. 

My impact and influence is rooted in my "following Christ"...  in my relationship with Him, in my mere identity of who I am in Christ, the very fact that wherever I go I carry God's presence and can allow the Holy Spirit to work through me.

Influence and impact stem from the core of who we are as God's children, as His followers, as His hands and feet. Wherever we are, whenever we are there-- every moment of our lives. 

That's a lot more of an all encompassing exciting life of impact and influence that is unlimited in avenues, approaches, and people: rather than limited to a certain role. 

Just be--  and embrace the responsibility we have been given as Christ followers-- to know Him and make Him known in every avenue and moment of life. To do everything we do with everything within us, unto God. 

That's exciting.