Challenges of a Millennial MarriageSample

What Does “Taking Responsibility” Really Mean?

Devotional Content:

In many ways culture has tried to put millennials in a box. A list of adjectives is attached to millennials as a whole by some, and people just assume it fits everyone that falls into that group. My online search turned up these words to describe millennials: entitled, egotistical, the selfie or the me generation. Sources say these are the kids who got trophies for walking onto a playing field and are now, as adults, suing the higher learning institutions they graduated from because they cannot get a job. So when we look in that “millennial box,” we see a pretty negative picture.

As a counselor, I have never been fond of labels. I don’t think anyone should be put in a box. But where you find a label, you usually find a grain of truth. So for each of us, it is a call to action to see if we are wearing any of those labels. I really think that most millennials are just trying to figure life out; and Christian millennials are trying to see who God created them to be. The labels don’t work well for us as individuals, and they certainly have no place in a marriage. We get a great example in the first part of the Bible as Adam and Eve eat the fruit God told them not to eat. When God shows up, Adam decides it’s all about him. Instead of taking responsibility, he points his finger at Eve and says, “It’s her fault.” It looks like the “me generation” began with Adam!

So what does taking responsibility as a married millennial mean for you and your spouse? A great place to begin is to stop blaming each other. You are a team, and that means when one of you messes up, you right the ship together instead of pointing your fingers at each other. Then take some of those undesirable adjectives and discuss them together. Be honest with each other. Do they fit? If so, taking responsibility for your thoughts and your actions will be a great step in removing those adjectives.

I see many Christian millennials seeking to affect social change through their jobs and volunteer work. I see great young leaders looking to God for guidance as they seek to make a difference. I see a different “box” for the millennial couples that I know. I see them taking responsibility and seeking God’s plan for their life and marriage, and that is really the bottom line. God has a plan for both of you individually and as a couple, just like he has had for every person and every couple in every other generation. If you are weighed down by the labels in your “box,” being responsible may be as simple as changing “boxes.”

Today’s Challenge:

If you are totally honest with each other, what “negative labels” would fit you today? Together write them down and begin to pray for God to change your heart to His heart.

Going Deeper:

Pick one area of your marriage where you need to take more responsibility. What is your first step as you begin to work on this area?