Essay

Responsibility – Are you Wise or Foolish?

By Rev. Dr. Roger Braun, Retired Methodist Minister, guest columnist

In the Bible, Jesus tells the story about ten people. Five were wise and five were foolish. They were waiting for the prince to arrive and open up the banquet doors. However, the prince was very late, and each of them ran out of oil for their lamps. The five wise people brought extra oil while the other five did not. The foolish ones asked for some oil from the wise people. They refused to give them any of their extra oil. So while the foolish ones were in town buying oil, the prince arrived, the doors were opened, and the five wise people entered the palace.

We would think that Jesus would point out how selfish the five wise ones were because they refused to share. What happens, though, is that Jesus commends the five wise people for their wisdom. It seems that the story is not about sharing but about responsibility. The fact is that there are many things a person cannot get from another person, so it is up to each of us to take responsibility for those things in our lives.

For example, no one can give you their health. Each of us is responsible for our own health and our own choices about our bodies. No one can give you extra time. The time you have on this earth to use is your responsibility and yours alone. No one can give you their knowledge. Learning is your responsibility. No one can give you their faith. It is our own responsibility to embrace a faith.

Where in your life have you been foolish and didn’t take responsibility for things that only you can do? Have you examined your habits, lifestyle, and choices? Have you blamed others when it is up to you and you alone to provide the answers? The real importance of responsibility is when we recognize that there are some things that we cannot obtain from other people, and those things are our responsibility.