Take Control

I got a chuckle from this story a few days ago and thought I’d share…

There’s a new, young priest assigned to a parish. The pastor welcomed him and asked how he was doing. “Fine, but I’m a bit bummed because someone stole my bicycle.”

The wise pastor thought for a moment and said, “Treat it as an opportunity. This Sunday is your first sermon and it’s on the Ten Commandments. Why not talk about them and stealing?” The new priest thought that was a great idea and prepared accordingly. That Sunday the priest gave a rousing sermon.

The pastor said, “You were wonderful! I’m just curious, though, why did you stop at the sixth commandment and not mention the seventh, ‘do not steal’?”

“Because,” said the priest, “it was about at that point when I remembered where I left my bicycle.”

Besides making me smile, this story reminded me that for many, the “go-to” assumption is to blame others when problems arise: our spouse, traffic, boss, government, etc. But when we do this, we relinquish any control we have for solving the problem and leave our fate in the hands of others.

I’ve found that being accountable for everything that happens in my life gives me the chance to take charge and bring about positive change.  This week, be sure to banish the blame game and don’t lose your bike!