“So then each of us will
give an account of himself to God.”
(Romans 14:12)
If I am honest, I have to
admit a lot of my daily stress and frustration is due to my dissatisfaction
with other people. I worry too much about others, what they think, what they
do, what they don’t do, and in general how they live their lives. Now it is not
as though I am scrolling through Facebook feeds to find things to aggravate me,
but when other people’s foolishness, irresponsibility, and even sin directly
affects me, I get irritated, even sometimes angry.
This is one of many reasons
I need Romans 14:12 in my life, not because other people’s sin or selfishness
is necessarily a “Romans 14 issue,” but because I need to be reminded regularly
that my responsibility before God is…me, not the other people around me. Of
course, I am responsible for some
people around me. God holds me accountable for my wife and kids and even, to
some extent, the local church I serve (Eph. 5:22-6:4; Heb. 13:17; Jas. 3:1). I
am also responsible for how I treat, think about, and speak about other people
in my life. I will give an account for the foolish words (Matt. 12:36), foolish
thoughts (Psa. 19:14; 37:1), and foolish anger (Matt. 5:21-26) that is sometimes
directed toward other people, but I will not be held accountable for their sins or shortcomings, only my own.
When frustration or anger
is the result of being too occupied with other people and their concerns, we
should repent of being a busybody and focus on our own lives instead (1Thess.
4:11). But when frustration and disappointment is simply the result of living
in a fallen world and interacting with fallen people, we can take great comfort
in the reassurance that “each of us will give an account of himself to God.” The Lord knows each of us intimately, both the
good and the bad. We each have our hands full with our own shortcomings and
continuing need for greater sanctification. There is no time to waste on being
aggravated about people and circumstances we cannot change. We should mourn the
sinful world we live in but remain focused on preparing to see the Savior. Soli Deo Gloria. –JME
