I have this button, this trigger I call the "failure to protect" button. I'm not even sorry about it either, I think it's quite a sensible button to have. I do however have to manage it, especially in light of the fact that the modern world seems to be constantly stomping on it.
My "failure to protect" button goes off whenever anyone in leadership fails to protect the least of these or those they are supposed to be serving. These are darkly humorous times to be living in if one suffers from such an affliction, on account of the fact that it appears as if nearly everyone who thinks they are in charge is also highly incompetent! (Ha! I don't think that's coming from me either, I think that's just a fairly objective assessment of the times we are currently living in.)
I take some comfort in the fact that Jesus also had some choice words for people who fail to protect the least of these, words involving milestones and being cast in the sea. The Bible actually says that those who don't take care of their own have denied the faith and are worse than an infidel. A failure to provide, protect, or take care of can mean a lot of things beyond money, like failing to provide some form of safety and security for your own children.
Anyway, something that helps me to cope with all the chaos is remembering all those in my life who rose to the occasion and did not drop the ball. People who did the right thing. People who stood up. People who took responsibility. People who said "no." I used to know this doctor who would tell me, "you're not supposed to worry, that's what they pay me the big bucks for. Stop working for free!" I so appreciate that man because he was kind and good natured about it. He was also right, I often worried for free. He taught me a lot, but something he also did was take responsibility and engender trust.
I once worked short staffed for a long time, with no manager, so I had to deal with things that were way out of my comfort zone, like plumbing and electrical. We used to crack jokes about the job requirements, 4 yrs of education, 8 yrs of experience, with a general competency in computers, electrical, plumbing, and roof repairs. Similar situation, we finally got a good manager and he told me, "stop working for free! You're like a gold mine of free labor for these people! None of this is your responsibility."
Ah, music to my ears, I tell ya! That's actually my love language, "I'll handle this." Or at least that's my love language when somebody is trustworthy and responsible and actually does what they should. Anyway, I'm smiling just remembering all the times things worked as they were supposed to and people did the right thing.
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