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America has a debilitating disease that has permeated throughout every area of our society. The disease is irresponsibility. We now live in a day where no one is ever at fault by himself. In society, a man can commit mass murder and blame it on the way his parents raised him and some, if not all, of his responsibility for his actions is removed. In the home, a spouse can commit adultery and then blame it on some short coming of the other party and immediately, without question or thought, the guilt seems to lesson. In the school, when a child misbehaves and gets in trouble, the teacher, not the little darling, is put on the hot seat. In the church, a member can backslide, and fall out of church, then the first place people look to pin responsibility is to the pastor not the person who has left.

Did you know that thirty-five percent of all babies born in America are born to unwed mothers. Did you know that the number of children enrolled in child-care facilities in 1992 was 2,500,000 compared to 141,000 in 1960. God only knows what the number is today. What has happened? America wants to have its fun and its families but it does not want to take the responsibility. Our irresponsibility boarders on insanity. In a Gallup poll, reported in Health Magazine I read that 85 percent of Americans think caring for elderly parents is an adult child's responsibility. That sounds good. But in the same poll 85 percent also said they would not consider asking an elderly parent, who is no longer able to live alone, to move in with them. Why, because we know what is right but we refuse to take responsibility and do it.

Someone said, character is the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life. If that be the case, the real issue is our lack of character. We all need to be reminded that if God writes opportunity on one side of the door, he writes responsibility on the other. Privilege and responsibility are two sides of the same coin. We should know that people who shirk responsibility may really be shunning opportunities for success.

Daniel Webster said, “The most important thought I ever had was that of my individual responsibility to God.” Trumpet reader, let’s examine our lives. Do we routinely blame others for everything that goes wrong in our lives? I visited a man who had gotten out of church recently. His first words were, “Preacher, it’s nobody’s fault I’m out of church, I’m just sorry.” I must admit that was very refreshing!

Pastor Steven E. Mays – Faith Baptist Church, Laurens, SC.
BroMays@FaithBaptistTrumpet.org