Imagine I have drawn a small circle inside a much larger circle on a sheet of paper. The inner circle is labeled the circle of responsibility, and the outer circle the circle of concern. The circle of responsibility—the smaller, inner circle—represents things God has called you to do that you cannot give to anyone else. These are your daily, God-ordained duties. The only proper response to this inner circle is to carefully and faithfully obey, trusting God for the empowering grace to do so. Many other things in life grab your attention, capture your mind, and weigh heavy on your heart, but they are not your responsibility or your ability to change. These are the things you put in the circle of concern.
One of my favorite lessons Paul Tripp taught me during my time at Westminster over two decades ago was his Circles of Responsibility. Yesterday, he featured this teaching in his Wednesday Word. I encourage you to read it below or link over to his original to read it. Regardless of where you read it, this teaching is so very helpful. This teaching ranks as one of my favorite and most helpful of all time.
Circles of Sovereignty
In a world that seems so out of control, where bad things happen to you and those you love while reward falls on those who deserve the opposite, it’s hard to believe that God is sovereign.
How could the one who declares himself to be perfect, wise, good, and loving in every way also be in absolute control of the universe and let all of this happen on his watch?
Much of our regular anxiety, worry, fear, and discouragement results from thinking that when things are out of our control, they are out of control completely. But the Bible tells us that if we want to properly understand what is happening around us, we need to remember what’s happening above us.
As a being made in the image of God, you are a meaning maker. Because we’ve been given intellectual and conceptual abilities, we have a hunger to know, a desire for life to make sense, and a determination to understand.
These are all excellent qualities, and the Bible encourages growth in these areas: “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge” (Proverbs 18:15). But we must all be willing to accept that there is a creature/Creator line that we are unable to cross.
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