負起責任並付出努力──TAKING RESPONSIBILITY AND DOING THE WORK
我們生活在一個不尋常的時代，越來越多的人似乎不願意為自己的決定和行為負責。對一些人來說，他們只是把錯誤歸咎於他人–可能是某個特定的機構或整個社會–並扮演受害者的角色。如果他們失敗了，他們相信這不是他們的錯，而是「體制」的錯，或者是別人的錯。然而，事實是，我們所經歷的很多事情，確實都是我們自己的責任。如果我們失敗了，或未能實現我們的目標或抱負，這不是別人的錯，而是我們自己的錯。
海倫‧凱勒在只有19個月大的時候，因為一場疾病，而失去了視力和聽力。然而，在一位熱心的導師安妮‧蘇莉文的幫助下，她克服了自己的嚴重身障，成為一名作家、殘障權益的倡導者和講師。她的一項優點在於她從不找藉口，反而，她能夠說出：「我尋找的東西不在外面，而在我內心。」
引用凱勒的例子，領導顧問提姆‧凱特觀察到：「醫生不能讓你變健康 ；營養師不能讓你變苗條 ；老師不能讓你變聰明 ；教練不能讓你變健壯。他們可以幫助你，但你必須負起責任並付出努力。」
在職場上，我們每天都能看到這種情況。為了找到一份工作，我們通常需要準備履歷表，填寫申請表，然後進行面試。要做成一筆銷售，我們必須與潛在的買家互動，並告訴他們我們的產品或服務的價值和好處。要獲得晉升或加薪，我們必須證明自己是值得的。正如凱特所說，我們必須負起責任並付出努力。
聖經對此有很多教導。例如，它肯定了正當工作的美德。「我們在你們那裡的時候，曾吩咐你們說，若有人不肯做工，就不可吃飯。」（帖撒羅尼迦後書3章10節）即使在2000年前，聖經也在教導「天下沒有白吃的午餐」。
我們可能對於一位能夠巧妙地將信仰與工作融合的同事感到敬佩，但若我們要達到相同的目標，就需要付出努力。「你當竭力在神面前得蒙喜悅，做無愧的工人，按著正意分解真理的道。」（提摩太後書2章15節）「真理的道」 – 即神在聖經中所啟示的真理 – 不會透過潛移默化就來到我們身上。我們必須花時間閱讀聖經、研究聖經、默想聖經，並背誦聖經，以內化其中的真理和原則，進而，才能夠實際應用於生活中。
同時，要成為一個一致性、多結果子的「基督的使者(天國的大使)」（哥林多後書5章20節），我們也必須明白，雖然我們在自己的成功中扮演著重要的角色，而神也同樣重要。腓立比書2章13節告訴我們：「因為你們立志行事都是神在你們心裡運行，為要成就他的美意。」
這與耶穌教導門徒時所說的相符：「我是真葡萄樹，我父是栽培的人。……你們要常在我裡面，我也常在你們裡面。枝子若不常在葡萄樹上，自己就不能結果子；你們若不常在我裡面，也是這樣。…因為離了我，你們就不能做什麼。」（約翰福音15章1-5節）我們必須主動採取行動並付出必要的努力，但要實現神對我們生命的目的，我們必須依靠祂。正如使徒保羅所寫：「我靠著那加給我力量的，凡事都能做。」（腓立比書4章13節）
© 2023. Robert J. Tamasy 是企業巔峰: 給今日職場從箴言而來永恆的智慧 一書的作者。也與導師之心的作者David A. Stoddard 合著Tufting Legacies。編輯多本著作包括Mike Landry. Bob的書：透過苦難成長。Mike Landry. Bob的網站為www.bobtamasy-readywriterink.com
備註：如果你有聖經，想閱讀更多相關的內容，請參考下面的經文(因篇幅有限，請自行查考未列出之經文提摩太前書3:16-17)：
傳道書 3章9-13節
3:9 這樣看來，做事的人在他的勞碌上有什麼益處呢？
3:10我見神叫世人勞苦，使他們在其中受經練。
3:11神造萬物，各按其時成為美好，又將永生（原文作永遠）安置在世人心裡。然而神從始至終的作為，人不能參透。
3:12我知道世人，莫強如終身喜樂行善；
3:13並且人人吃喝，在他一切勞碌中享福，這也是神的恩賜。
哥林多前書 3章9節
3:9 因為我們是與神同工的；你們是神所耕種的田地，所建造的房屋。
以弗所書 2章10節
2:10 我們原是他的工作，在基督耶穌裡造成的，為要叫我們行善，就是神所預備叫我們行的
雅各書 2章14-18節
2:14 我的弟兄們，若有人說自己有信心，卻沒有行為，有什麼益處呢？這信心能救他嗎？
2:15 若是弟兄或是姐妹，赤身露體，又缺了日用的飲食；
2:16你們中間有人對他們說：「平平安安地去吧！願你們穿得暖，吃得飽」；卻不給他們身體所需用的，這有什麼益處呢？
2:17這樣，信心若沒有行為就是死的。
2:18必有人說：「你有信心，我有行為；你將你沒有行為的信心指給我看，我便藉著我的行為，將我的信心指給你看。」
反省與問題討論
- 你是否觀察到，越來越多的人，似乎拒絕對自己的生命負責，以及對他們的行為和決定所產生的後果負責呢？如果可以的話，請舉一個你想到的例子，你對此有什麼感受？
- 你是否同意這樣的觀察：醫生不能使我們變得健康；老師不能使我們變得聰明；健身教練不能使我們變得健壯嗎？那麼，我們如何，在這些和其他專業人士對我們生活中所扮演的角色，以及我們自己實現期望結果的責任之間，取得平衡呢？
- 你認為，在我們的工作中和日常生活中，採取主動和個人責任這個面向，聖經教導我們必須要做的是什麼呢？
- 我們如何，在神希望我們作為祂的使者或代表，所要做「我們的部份」，與祂自己會做的部分，之間取得平衡，以實現持久甚至永恆價值的事工呢？
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY AND DOING THE WORK
By Robert J. Tamasy
We live in an unusual time. More and more, people seem unwilling to take responsibility for their decisions and actions. For some, it has become a case of casting blame on others – people, specific institutions, or society in general – and assuming the role of victim. If they fail, they believe it is not their fault but that of “the system,” or someone else. The fact is, however, much ofwhat happens to us is indeed our responsibility. If we fail or fall short of our goals or aspirations, it is no one’s fault but our own.
Helen Keller lost both sight and hearing due to an illness when she was only 19 months old. However, with the help of a devoted instructor, Anne Sullivan, she overcame her considerable disabilities to become an author, disability rights advocate and lecturer. One of her strengths was she never offered excuses; instead, she was able to state, “What I am looking for is not out there. It is in me.”
Citing Keller’s example, leadership consultant Tim Kight observed, “Doctors don’t make you healthy. Nutritionists don’t make you slim. Teachers don’t make you smart. Trainers don’t make you fit. They help, but you must take responsibility and do the work.”
We see this every day in the marketplace. To get a job, we usually need to complete a resume, fill out an application and be interviewed first. To make a sale, we have to interact with prospective buyers and inform them of the value and benefits of our product or service. To earn a promotion or a pay raise, we have to prove ourselves worthy of it. As Kight says, we must take responsibility and do the work.
The Bible has a lot to say about this. For instance, it affirms the virtue of honest work. “For even when we were with you, we gave you the rule: ‘If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Even 2,000 years ago, the Scriptures were teaching, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
We may admire a colleague who understands how to effectively integrate his or her faith with her work, but it will take effort for us to accomplish the same. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). The “word of truth” – God’s truth as revealed in the Scriptures – does not come to us through osmosis. We must devote time to reading the Bible, studying it, meditating on it, and memorizing it to internalize its truths and principles for practical application.
At the same time, to become a consistent, fruitful “ambassador for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20), we also must understand that while we have an important role in our success, so does God. Philippians 2;13 tells us, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.”
This aligns with what Jesus taught His disciples when He declared, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener…. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me…apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:1-5). We must take initiative and put forth the necessary effort, but to realize God’s purposes for our lives, we must rely on Him. As the apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
© 2023. Robert J. Tamasy has written Marketplace Ambassadors: CBMC’s Continuing Legacy of Evangelism and Discipleship; Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Pursuing Life With a Shepherd’s Heart, coauthored with Ken Johnson; and The Heart of Mentoring, coauthored with David A. Stoddard. Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com.
Reflection/Discussion Questions
- Have you observed that more and more people seem to be refusing to accept responsibility for their own lives, along with the consequences for their actions and decisions? If you can, cite an example that comes to your mind. How do you feel about that?
- Do you agree with the observations that doctors do not make us healthy, teachers do not make us smart, and physical trainers do not make us fit? How then can we balance the roles these and other professionals can play in our lives with our own responsibilities for accomplishing desired outcomes?
- What do you believe the Bible teaches about the necessity for us to take initiative and personal responsibility in the work we do and how we conduct our daily lives?
- How can we balance “our part” in what God desires for us to do as His ambassadors or representatives with the part He must play if we are to accomplish anything to lasting, even eternal value?
NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages:
Ecclesiastes 3:9-13; 1 Corinthians 3:9; Ephesians 2:10; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; James 2:14-18
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