Respond With Ability

Let’s put this phrase together and define the word first. Responsibility is the opportunity or ability to act independently and make decisions without authorization. In other words, a person has the authority and ability to respond rightly. If we can agree with this definition, why do we seek answers from others on what the right thing to do is? I think I have an answer, at least the way I see it, according to God’s word.

Here is a three-part answer with three scenarios.

First: We find ourselves in a situation, and we really don’t know what to do. We are seeking answers, maybe from others, family, and friends. If this is the case, we often get more than one answer to the question because of the variety of opinions people have.

Second: We find ourselves in a situation that we have been in before, and the answer we followed out before did not work. Now we are seeking a different answer. We might ask others, family and friends, who have been in similar situations, what worked for them. Because we ask a variety of people, we get a variety of answers.

Third: We find ourselves in a situation, and we know why we are there. We know the answers, but it seems hard, almost impossible to break out of it. We have tried before, we tried again, and here we are again in the same situation. We know the answer, but we can’t seem to find our way out.

The Answer: We start with hope in God. Jesus is the anchor of our souls, and we are equipped with the helmet of hope, which guards our minds (part of our souls) in Christ Jesus. With this hope in place, we can give every measure of control to God, our Soverign Lord, who knows All, sees All, and is All. We realize that we (ourselves) are the only ones we can change, and we respond to the ability to change.

Hope yields control when we put our hope in God and give Him control, stop trying to take control, and know that we can have self-control through our faith in God and walk in our responsibility towards the goals and dreams in our lives. This allows us to live the life God intended for us to live, thriving and fully alive!

Here is a life verse for us: Matthew 6:33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Until next time, remember the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.

Dr. Michele

November 9, 2025