"Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct."
Galatians 6:4-5 (NLT)
One of my favorite leadership assessments is the Gallup StrengthsFinder. The philosophy around the assessment is to focus on an individual’s strengths, that we shouldn’t focus on what God left out because it is hard enough to get out what God put in.
One of my top strengths in the StrengthsFinder assessment is Responsibility.
Responsibility to me is about taking ownership for things that I commit to; and whether large or small, I feel emotionally bound to follow it through to completion. My good name depends on it! It is also about my core beliefs and being responsible to carry out and stand firm in those morals and values.
If for some reason I cannot deliver, I will automatically start to look for ways to make it up to the person. An apology does not feel like enough. Excuses and rationalizations are unacceptable, and it will bother me until I have made restitution.
I also believe we are responsible to each other. Not for each other, but to each other. As it says in Galatians 6, we are responsible for our own conduct, so I can’t be responsible for someone else’s actions. What I am responsible for is to teach, teach others about kindness, goodness, and love.
I do believe we all come to this earth being good at heart. Life happens and circumstances can change us, but hopefully we have teachers along the way who take us aside and show us compassion and help direct us on better paths. We have a responsibility to speak in kindness and act with compassion. We can control how we treat people, how we care about people, how we love people.
Jill and I have taken that responsibility and acted on it!
We are in the beginning stages of taking a Choose Love movement into our school systems. This movement is based on six principles: Honor, Kindness, Compassion, Patience, Respect, and Responsibility. We have a God-sized dream that we pray will plant a seed in children and families that will bloom and grow in amazing ways.
"He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'"
Matthew 25:45 (NIV)
We can live by example. We can speak up when we see an injustice, and not only defend the weak, but speak to the weak in spirit. We can teach our children that looking out for number one isn’t the way to walk through this life. We can teach them that we are responsible to each other. That our actions make a difference. That our words have consequences to others.
We can teach them that power comes from kindness, strength of spirit comes from compassion, and strength of character is an invaluable gift.
I just don’t want anyone to pass through my life only to have someone later ask, “Who forgot to teach them?”
How about you? Will you join us in this movement?
There are two ways you can join us:
1. Prayer – Please keep this movement (the schools, teachers, and students) in your prayers. Please join us in praying that Choose Love will have a positive impact and bring a culture of love to our communities.
2. Financial – If God is tugging on your heart and you have the ability to make a financial gift toward this movement, we would love for you to walk beside us. Click the link to learn more about Choose Love and make your tax-deductible gift.
With love and joy,
Laura