Responsibility

Everyone has some form of responsibility in their life.  Some more than others,  but no one is exempt, even those on the extremes,  monks and convicts.
Primarily,  we have responsibility for ourselves.  If one listens to American culture, we should be responsible for our health, for our retirement plan and for the financial future's of our offspring.  While these things may be all good and right, they are far from primary.
I would like to use a metaphor to make my point.  If one is training for a marathon,  should he be concerned that his clothes color coordinate?  Or that his fingernails are well trimmed? Definitely not the first point and only the second point, if it is far down the list of things to address.
The one training ought to be concerned with caloric intake, with adequate sleep, and ultimately with proper training, shortly said, getting out there and running, alot. But this responsibility of determining which things are important to address and how to address then will be controlled by our final goal.  If our goal in running in a marathon is to have our name on a list and possibility our picture in the paper as "a marathon runner", then we likely will be concerned about color coordination.
If our goal in life is to live as long as possible in order to obtain as many possessions as possible, then yes, we will be concerned about our retirement plan and our savings account. But if we call ourselves Christian,  we really should have a different perspective.
What are doing to prepare our souls for eternity?  When we die (at what time we do not know), we will step into the immediate presence of absolute holiness. Are we ready for this? Have we been working toward the love of God and the despising of evil? Or have we spent our time distracted by entertainment?
And I have only addressed ourselves at this point.  What about those others in our circle of responsibility?  Our spouses, our children,  our loved ones,  our neighbors? What are we doing to help direct others toward holiness?
God has given us the church, his Word, the sacraments and one another to prepare for eternity.  We have our own sinful inclinations, the temptations of the world and and attacks of evil ones fighting against us. It will be hard work, a battle, an uphill climb.
Let us make use of the tools that God has given us and not be distracted by the easy life of modern America.
Far too much is at stake.