Responsibility - Part 1

Jeremiah 4:1-10 “ If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto Me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of My sight, then shalt thou not remove. And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they glory. For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities. Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction. The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant. For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the Lord is not turned back from us. And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the Lord, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! surely Thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.”

I don't know what you are experiencing in the community and in organizations. Usually the honorary work is left to a few people. They sacrifice their free time so that the organization and community runs smoothly. The undertaking of all of the workload sometimes ends with the worker taking time-out or having to take time out because his battery is simply discharging too quickly and cannot be recharged. No one is prepared to overtake honorary responsibilities. Also in my profession the functional positions are often vacant. One has a certain responsibility towards scholars, parents and colleagues. Chilling, leisure time... is more popular than doing tasks. Also in human relationships taking responsibility is a thing. Many responsibilities are also problematic. If no precise instructions were given with regard to a patient and it is left to someone else to make the decision with regard to the correct medical action. Do I put my parents in a nursing home, or do I look after them? Sometimes it is medically impossible. In my job I also ask myself sometimes why children are born. When I see or hear how people care for them, love them... to take responsibility at the right time requires courage. This was the case with Jeremiah in Jerusalem. It was 600 BC and Nebuchadnezzar was threatening Judea. In the circumstances, Jeremiah was given a responsibility/vocation. God wanted him to go to the king and tell him something. He had to prophecy his downfall. He was torn from his everyday life. Jeremiah was not exactly pleased. He feared the time-limited task, although he felt that he had to assume responsibility for it. Yet a change was required: challenge and demand. He would make himself vulnerable. He had to prophecy the downfall of and pronouncement over the government. How is it with me? Do I deliberately place myself in a vulnerable position? Do I leave a safe area? In my job one sometimes has to give unpleasant news. Tact and a certain choice of words belong to the execution thereof. Is it always successful?

Gundi Hornbruch