Living Stone of RESPONSIBILITY

by Jorge Perez, CEO & President with the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati

On a trip to Bethlehem, we visited fields believed to be where angels announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds watching over their flocks.

What you need to know about shepherds is they are a gritty bunch; hardworking, calloused hands, 24-7, and never-say-die folks.

Their daily tasks of tending, herding, feeding, or guarding made them synonymous with the leadership principle of Responsibility.

As a five-year-old boy, I understood Responsibility because I needed to take care of my three sisters while my mother worked to provide for our basic needs.

In my early teens, I became a wage earner, a mechanic, a plumber, a carpenter, an interpreter, and a surrogate parent; my familial duties left little room for school.

Although I remember feeling proud of my contributions, I struggled with the accountability placed on my way-too-young shoulders. 

For me, Responsibility was a set of duties and obligations that added to my life's burdens.

But this was not how Jesus described Responsibility; he counterbalanced duty and obligation with love and faithfulness.

This is highlighted in Jesus's story of a shepherd who searched for a lost sheep, leaving behind ninety-nine.

When he found the lost lamb, joy replaced drudgery: "Rejoice with me! I found my lost sheep." Leaders have a responsibility to shepherd individuals in their care.

But if leadership and service are only out of duty and obligation, the work will become a burden.

However, if love and faithfulness are incorporated, we can step into the rest-giving, weary-lifting sphere of cause-driven, living-stone of Responsibility.

Try these three ways to lead with cause-driven Responsibility, like the Good Shepherd:

Embrace duty and obligation. Without it, love and faithfulness are unproductive; a gritty commitment to excellence is not optional.

Align what you do (duty) with why you do it (love). As embodied by Jesus, the never-say-die shepherd, the combination of obligation and faithfulness refreshes our soul and those we serve.

Take time to rest. Responsible shepherds who work hard and love sacrificially need to be led by the Good Shepherd; he will give you rest.