In many ways
this is a game similar to “The Gift of Blame”. When we’re not sure what the right
decision would be, we leave it for someone else to decide. We don’t want to
take responsibility for a potential wrong decision. This might be seen as wise.
In reality we are letting someone else make the decision and be held
accountable for the results.
The active way to do this is hand the decision
to someone else. Tell them they are blessed with the authority to make the
decision, and in unspoken words tell them they are responsible for any mistakes.
The passive way is to leave the decision on your desk until the deadline
passes, and by default the decision is made. I’m really good at the latter. In
fact this is such an acceptable way of making decisions we have it built into
our executive branch legal system. A law can sit on the governor’s desk long
enough, and it will become law without a signature.
How old is
the game of “Pass the Buck”? It’s old enough to be seen in the Bible. The case
in point is the Apostle Paul as we discover in the book of Acts, chapter 23.
Act
23:26-30 "Claudius Lysias to His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings.
The Jews seized this man and were about to kill him. I learned that he is a
Roman citizen, so I went with my soldiers and rescued him. I wanted to know
what they were accusing him of, so I took him down to their Council. I found
out that he had not done a thing for which he deserved to die or be put in
prison; the accusation against him had to do with questions about their own
law. And when I was informed that there was a plot against him, at once I
decided to send him to you. I have told his accusers to make their charges
against him before you."
Lysias
wouldn’t make the decision about what to do with Paul. Paul was a Jew which
made him of little importance to the Romans. Paul was a Roman citizen which
made him extremely important to the Romans. What did Lysias do? He passed the
buck. The same thing happens again at the end of chapter 24 between two Roman
representatives.
How often do
we do this in our personal lives? How often do we do it in our churches? Taking
responsibility for making a decision can be a scary thing. When we claim the
authority to make a decision, we are also putting ourselves in the position of
being held accountable for the results. That is not always a comfortable situation.
Asking for
advice upon which to make a decision is a wise move. Taking time to weigh all
options is also wise if sufficient time is available. The bottom line is
someone has to make decisions. That’s why they get paid the megabucks. Those
who refuse to make decisions stay on the bottom rung and do what someone tells
them. It’s safe, it’s comfortable, and it’s nearly free from the pressure of
accountability.
Daily we
must make decisions some of which involve significant consequences. What kind
of education will we seek? What kind of job will we take? Will we marry and if
so whom? Will we uproot our family to take a different job? How will we handle
our material resources? How will we prepare for retirement and end of life
events? Sometimes it would be so nice if someone else made the decisions for
us, but alas.
In the
church how much does not get done because someone believes a decision is not
necessary? A more common statement is, “That’s not my job.” That’s called
passing the buck by default. It’s not my responsibility so no one can hold me
responsible.
God made the
decision to send his Son to be our Savior. He took the responsibility. He paid
the price. We are the recipients of the divine love. We are also recipients of
the responsibility to pass the love on, the best kind of passing the buck.
