Bishop Allan Kiuna: Reach for responsibility

Photo: Courtesy

Sir Winston Churchill was a great British statesman. He became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955.

Besides being the first person to be made an honorary citizen of the United States, Churchill was an outstanding leader whose legacy still rings a bell in our ears to date.

The astute politician was one of the most decorated leaders of his time. This great role model of outstandingly great leadership once said something absolutely amazing: “The price of greatness is responsibility.”

Obligation to act

Responsibility comes from two words: ‘response’ and ‘ability’ —simply put,the ability to respond.

Having responsibility or being responsible is the duty or obligation to act — it is thinking, deciding acting and standing in support and in acceptance of that whole process.

This act of taking responsibility is acknowledging and accepting the choices you have made, the actions you have taken based on those choices, and the results they have led to. This part of our character is never complete without its two faces: having responsibility and taking responsibility. Responsibility is an essential element of integrity; it is the congruence of what you think, what you say, and what you do.

Responsibility is the circumcision that guarantees fruitfulness, yet, no one is born responsible. We all have had to learn it from our parents, siblings, relatives, guardians, teachers, peers or pastors.

Remember that you can become a responsible person even if you didn’t have the privilege of growing up in an environment where it was being taught or instilled. Developing your authority, management skills, common sense, reliability, and trustworthiness is the precinct of this good pillar of integrity called responsibleness. And allowing yourself to grow into maturity, power and self-control is giving yourself the chance to manifest your gifts safely. A responsible person has come to believe they have something good to give.

A life well lived is one where the individual both acknowledges and appreciates themselves deeply enough to want to share a piece of themselves with others. You must believe that you are sweet enough, great enough and talented enough to change the world and you must want to share that blessing with others.

When you begin sharing what and who you are, it begins to multiply and increase. Appreciate the fact that even if you are lacking in one thing or the other, at least you have some form of greatness, a unique deposit of potential and a great deal of opportunities to showcase yourself.

Hunt your own prey

Begin the migration courageously and decisively. You will make it if you don’t give up. Being responsible if exercising excellence in managing your gift until it births profits for you and others.

Learn to stand on your own two feet; that is what responsibility is all about. Over dependence on others, renders you incapable of the leadership muscle development. Learn to hunt your own prey; develop a hate for road kill.

Freedom is not the opportunity to live riotous and chaotic lives, but the responsibleness to appropriate liberty for maximum fruitfulness. Until we disentangle our minds from the slavery of dependence on others, we may never fully enjoy who we are. Unless we can receive and accept our difference and bring it to the table of life, our potential may lay dormant and eventually go to waste.

Be weaned from milk into meat! World changers are not dependents, sycophants or boot lickers; they have grown up into leaders by their own right! Believe that you are a game changer on earth and it shall happen. People are free and at liberty to undercut, undermine, despise and spitefully use you, based on their limited perceptions of you, but never accept what they project at you to become who you are.

Allow their expressions, impressions and opinions to be thought and even verbalized but keep very close to your heart, the surety of who you are. To live, to function and to achieve purpose is your sole personal responsibility. The people that don’t understand you need not do; after all they have themselves to understand as well.

Know yourself, your path and run your race with focus, fortitude and vision. You shall reach there if you stay focused and remain true to the fact that you were built to last!

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