So, we are talking responsibility this month. Of all the character traits we’ve covered this year, this is my least favorite. I heard someone once say that as parents we want to be the kind of person we hope our kids become. I think there is a great deal of truth to this – I want to be living the things I want to see in my kids AND I will never be the person I hope they become because I am not Jesus. I want my kids to be people who are wholeheartedly following Christ. I want them to be people who aren’t afraid of their weaknesses because they know their weaknesses leave space for others to have a strength and for God to show His power – weaknesses make much of Christ and Community.
Weaknesses are hard to embrace. My weakness is responsibility. Pastor Seth Watson introduced the idea of having three areas of responsibility: 1 – Mistakes, 2 – My stuff, 3 – Responding if you are able. I fall short in all of these. It often feels as an adult I should have mastered being responsible for my stuff, but oh my word, I haven’t. I am the one in the house who leaves wrappers and empty containers on the counters, puts my things half-way away, or takes shortcuts whenever possible. Training my kids to be responsible for their things has been slightly rough to say the least. How do I embrace this weakness of mine in a way that allows Christ to be made much of and teaches my family to be a community? My lack is worth it if God uses it to teach our family to come to the aid of others, to fill in where they are short, to know our strengths and weaknesses and our superpowers.
I’m sharing a podcast with you today. (Side note: I love podcasts because I can listen to them while I do other things like make dinner, do dishes, or drive. My favorite way to listen is with the stitcher radio app.) Heather MacFadyen from thegodcenteredmom.com shares how to establish roles and goals with your family. She also discusses how to discover and use the superpowers that each member of your family has. The episode is called Roles, Goals, and Superpowers. I hope it encourages you to embrace the strengths and weakness you have in your family this week.