Taking Responsibility For Our Lives
A third thing I like about Hezekiah is the way he took responsibility for his life.
His Father had been a terrible example for him. He did all sorts of evil and terrible things. He totally messed things up, but Hezekiah, coming into power, said this: “Listen to me, Levites!... Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the LORD our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the LORD’S dwelling place and turned their backs on him... Now I intend to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us” (2 Chronicles 29:5–6, 10 NIV11)
He stood in faith, and changed things. He didn’t get trapped by the past, he didn’t use his father’s incompetence for an excuse; he stood up for what he believed in, and made it happen.
Don’t Play the Victim
I remember once reading a book by Dr. Phil. Now, I don’t agree with much of his stuff, but what he said in that book impacted me. It was Life Law #2: You create your own experience:
“Acknowledge and accept accountability for your life. Understand your role in creating results.
"You cannot dodge responsibility for how and why your life is the way it is. If you don’t like your job, you are accountable. If you are overweight, you are accountable. If you are not happy, you are accountable. You are creating the situations you are in and the emotions that flow from those situations.
Don’t play the role of victim, or use past events to build excuses. It guarantees you no progress, no healing, and no victory. You will never fix a problem by blaming someone else. Whether the cards you’ve been dealt are good or bad, you’re in charge of yourself now.”
Love or hate Doctor Phil, I think he was right about this.
And Hezekiah is an example. He could have lamented the way things were, the state of things, his Father’s destructive ways. You can bet that his Father’s life had a negative psychological effect on Hezekiah, surely!!!
But instead of playing the victim, instead of dodging responsibility, he stood up, and he put the changes in place.
Take Action
Someone once told me this: there are people who talk, and there are people who take action. Be a person who takes action.
Don’t make excuses, don’t blame anyone and everyone- take action! And when you do, know this: if you’ve given your life to God, you have his power on your side. You have his help, you have his strength. If you rely on Him, you can do what he’s called you to do. Because His Holy Spirit is in you, and that makes all the difference.
Just do it. Like Hezekiah did. He made great reforms. He made a commitment to God, and he spent his life doing good work with the talents he had.
Do the same!
