{"id":876,"date":"2009-09-11T04:01:25","date_gmt":"2009-09-11T04:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/09\/inspiration-from-the-high-calling-3.html"},"modified":"2009-09-11T04:01:25","modified_gmt":"2009-09-11T04:01:25","slug":"inspiration-from-the-high-calling-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/09\/inspiration-from-the-high-calling-3.html","title":{"rendered":"Inspiration from The High Calling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shirking Responsibility<\/h3>\n

READ Exodus 32:15-29<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cSo I told them, \u2018Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.\u2019 When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire\u2014and out came this calf!\u201d<\/p>\n

Exodus 32:24<\/a><\/p>\n

Exodus 32 reveals that the idea of making an image to represent the \u201cgods\u201d originated with the Israelites. But, thereafter, Aaron enthusiastically led this idolatrous effort. He summoned the people to provide gold for the golden calf, which he formed from their contributions (32:4). Aaron also built an altar for sacrifices and instigated the festival filled with pagan revelry. He failed in his leadership as Moses\u2019 colleague and Israel\u2019s high priest, not only by not keeping the people from doing wrong, but also by leading the charge into grievous sin.
\nBut when Moses challenged Aaron to account for what he had done, Aaron showed himself to be a poor leader by shirking responsibility for his actions. He blamed the evil of the people (32:22). They had asked him to make an idol because Moses had disappeared (32:33). Finally, Aaron claimed that the golden calf had magically emerged from the fire, rather than admitting that he had formed this calf himself (32:24).
\nA strong leader must take responsibility, not only for guiding his or her followers into what is right, but also for owning failures in leadership. Every leader fails. Better leaders fail often because they are risk-taking visionaries who run a greater risk of failure. The best leaders take responsibility for their mistakes and learn from them. Aaron fell far short of the high watermark for leadership.
\nHis behavior is common, though. Too often we hear our leaders trying to explain their way out of trouble with unconvincing spin. Yet it\u2019s not just political and religious leaders who try to bend the truth to get out of trouble. Recently, I made a mistake in disciplining my daughter. When I undid my error, my first thought was to guard my pride, rather than tell the truth that \u201cI blew it.\u201d Evading responsibility for one\u2019s mistakes is as old as Adam and Eve (see Gen. 3). Yet the wise leader, and, indeed, the mature Christian, confesses the truth, asking for forgiveness and learning invaluable lessons from failure.
\nQUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION<\/strong>: Have you ever done something like Aaron when confronted with your failure? Why? Can you think of mistakes from which you have learned? Are there any failures you need to acknowledge and learn from now?
\nPRAYER<\/strong>: O Lord, I can sure relate to Aaron. He messed up big time in his leadership of the Israelites. But when confronted by Moses, he tried to weasel out of responsibility for his actions. Lord, you know how I\u2019m tempted to do this and how many times I have given in to temptation. Forgive me, Lord, for my failure to acknowledge my failures.
\nMoreover, help me to have the courage to admit when I am wrong. May my leadership\u2014at work, in my family, at church, and beyond\u2014be grounded\u00a0in the truth. Give me the courage to own my failures and the wisdom to learn from them.
\nAlso, I ask that you help me to foster an environment where the acknowledgement of failure is accepted without shame. May this be true especially in my workplace and in my family. Help me to help those with whom I work and live to say, \u201cYes, I was wrong.\u201d Amen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

_________________________________________________<\/p>\n

<\/a>Would you like to receive a Daily Reflection like this one in your email inbox each morning?\u00a0 <\/strong>
\nHere’s how . . . . <\/em><\/strong>
\nThis devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work <\/em>(www.thehighcalling.org<\/a>), a wonderful website about work and God<\/em>. You can read my Daily Reflections<\/a> there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox<\/a> each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shirking Responsibility READ Exodus 32:15-29 \u00a0\u201cSo I told them, \u2018Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.\u2019 When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire\u2014and out came this calf!\u201d Exodus 32:24 Exodus 32 reveals that the idea of making an image to represent the \u201cgods\u201d originated with the Israelites. But, thereafter,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holy-week-easter"],"yoast_head":"\nInspiration from The High Calling - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/876\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}