I deserve…

A few weeks ago, I heard an interview with Dr. John Townsend in which he said a line that is stuck on autoplay repeat in my mind.

He said: “Replace ‘I deserve’ with ‘I’m responsible.’”

Here in the United States, we need to make this our mantra as we’re likely to breathe the fumes of the presidential election for a long time.

You see, the American political industry runs on votes that it mines from the “I deserve” statements of the electorate. In an era when everybody is shouting “I deserve!” it is no wonder our political landscape is so fissured and polluted.

What kind of person shouts: “I deserve!”

A frightened person. A person who looks out on a world of scarcity and threats. A person who believes that he will lose if someone else wins.

What kind of person says, gently: “I’m responsible.”

A person of faith and hope. A person who believes in abundance and plenty. A person who knows how it feels to receive grace and mercy and so she is able to give grace and mercy herself. A person who practices gratitude so much that giving to others is second nature.

Which of these people does our country need now?

Which one are you?

Inaugurate yourself today to preside over your own corner of the world. And in that corner that God gives you, be one who ways: “I’m responsible.”