Sunscreen—I really don’t like using it. It has an undefinable smell, like unpronounceable chemicals and warm, fly-filled, fruit salad. It also coats you in this greasy film that makes you feel like you’ve overnighted in a roach motel. Those may be my opinions on the matter, but science is not even conclusive that it actually prevents cancer. Furthermore there is evidence to suggest that it causes more cases of harmful cancers. My solution has been long pants, long sleeves and a hat. However, at picnics and social gatherings, no one wants to eat next to the sweaty guy. So what do you do? Whatever you feel like, right?
That’s what most of us do in the moment. We have a decision to make and it comes down to how we feel. Some of us may operate that way. Our answers on things might be, “It depends on how I feel, but I’ll let you know.” In a lot of cases, that is a legitimate answer. Some of us might make plans, but when it comes down to the time of execution of said plans, we just don’t feel like it. How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m not feeling it”? Moms, how many times have you asked a child to do something, and they “didn’t feel like” doing it? How many times have you responded with, “I didn’t feel like doing 20 hours of labor and Lamaze breathing either!” The point we want maturing children to understand is that we will all have to do things that are necessary and vital to existence, but in the moment, we won’t “feel like” doing it.
That could be the definition of the word “responsibility.” As adults, we understand this, but are we teaching and modeling this to future generations? Compare the jobs and things you were responsible for as a child to those of your children or children you know today. Is there a difference? I know that for most of us the way we lived in our childhood is different than how we are living now. For example, my kids are not keeping a wood box full or breaking the ice off of the water for our animals to drink. But, we need to find age appropriate ways to promote responsibility so that the sense of duty and aught continues into adulthood. The Bible says it this way, “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things” (1 Cor. 13:11).
“I don’t feel like it” can be a childish response. There are a lot of things that we must do, but the zeal to do it is not there. For some, getting up at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning for Bible class is really early. For others, gathering with the saints is an inconvenience. On the day of judgement, I am sure that “I didn’t feel like it” will not be a legitimate excuse. Jesus could raise His scarred hand and say, “But I felt all of the pain, mocking, rejection and sorrow for you. What did you feel for Me?”