22 Jul Where Does the Buck Stop?
Recently, my husband tried to purchase a couple of groceries using cash as he had left his wallet containing his bank card at home. Unfortunately, the store owner would not accept one of his notes because it had an ink stain on it, which apparently marks potential security issues. To be honest, he was a little disgruntled. “How many hands has this note passed between?” he complained to me, “And no one has had a problem with it until now!”
I realised there was a lesson in this — not just that we should check our change more carefully from now on to avoid accepting damaged bank notes! I couldn’t get the old saying out of my head, “the buck stops here.”
This is an interesting saying. I had always thought that the “buck” referred to money, but it has an even more interesting meaning, which a quick Google search revealed; the term “buck” comes from an old poker term. In the 19th century, a “buck” was a marker (usually a buckhorn knife) used to indicate whose turn it was to deal the cards. When it was your turn, the “buck” was passed to you. If you didn’t want to deal, you could “pass the buck” to someone else. So essentially the “buck” represents responsibility, and you can either pass on responsibility, or you can accept the responsibility.
Passing on the buck
When I reflect on the stained bank note in light of the above saying, I realise that it was someone’s responsibility to put a stop to the defaced bank note and exchange it at the bank. Did others (like us), not notice the stain on the bank note? Did they want to avoid the awkwardness bought on by refusing the bank note and then were they unwilling to take on the responsibility of making a trip to the bank to take the bank note out of circulation?
For me, the ink stain and the “buck” present a striking analogy for our spirituality. When we accept sin into our lives personally or we accept sin in other believers lives by staying silent, are we allowing an exchange of compromised values and thereby diluting the strength of our collective testimony? It is well known that our lives are testimonies of Jesus to the secular world, as well as to each other. Whether it’s intentional or not, most of us have believers we look up to — and at the same time, there are often younger believers watching and learning from us, even if we don’t realise it. This is the cycle of discipleship and one that helps a continuous flow of nourishment and growth.
This caused me to think deeply about my own life and what immediately came to mind was a new friend who has lately been making lifestyle decisions which could lead them to compromising their close relationship with Jesus. Because I did not feel like it was my place to point out the dangers of this to them, I was passive and permissive in my response, merely encouraging them to keep Jesus involved rather than outright pointing them to scripture to reevaluate their choices. Perhaps my hope was that more mature believers would take on that responsibility, and so I was essentially, “passing on the buck.”
The Buck Stops Here
There are other areas in which this analogy may apply, but it’s not always easy to know where our responsibility lies in a world where irreverent principles are intertwined into our fast-paced lives. Is having more than one drink with work colleagues, okay? Is spending money to indulge in luxury holidays, okay? What about the groceries we buy, how are our daily purchases contributing to the deterioration of our environment, the beautiful earth God gifted to us?
If we continue down this train of thought, it can become quite overwhelming. We must remember that God has gifted us with His Holy Spirit to help us navigate these daily decisions, listening to His prompting, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” (John 14: 16 – 17 NIV).
While there are still areas in my own life that are not perfect, I know that I can trust in God’s promise that, “…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1: 6 NIV). And this promise of growth and change are evident when I realise that things that were previously permissible to me, are no longer permissible and this gives me encouragement. I realise I do not need to be puritanical in my approach to faith-based living by cutting off everything secular, but I must be aware of the Holy Spirit’s prompting, which often begins with the small things. Once you can make “the buck stop here”, in those areas, you will feel yourself more emboldened and prompted to draw the line in other areas.
Where does the buck stop in entertainment?
One area where my husband and I have decided to make “the buck stop here” in our lives is in our entertainment. It is difficult because while there is quality Christian entertainment out there, there’s not enough of it. Consequently, we do indulge in secular entertainment, but we have strategically placed a cross above our television screen so that we can always be reminded of why Jesus had to suffer, and therefore do we want to be entertained by it? The rife usage of blaspheming in even the lower age restricted content means that we have often found ourselves heavily invested in a show, but having to abruptly switch it off because of this conviction.
This of course is a conviction that God has made in our household, but not everybody’s pace is the same, and not everyone’s strongholds are the same. Therefore, so long as there is no direct scriptural reference to guide us otherwise, what God may call me to give up and “make the buck stop here,” may not be the same as for you. But I do believe that in everything, we should measure the action, the sight, the audio, whatever is passing through our lives in whatever form, next to the cross. Even if you don’t have a physical cross to place next to that book, that conversation, that mobile screen, you can visualise it to be reminded of three things:
1. If you have allowed sin and vices into your life, your hands, eyes and ears have been redeemed and renewed by the cross and by this grace, you have power to reject it
2. The cross covers even the ones who introduce sin into your life
3. Because Jesus suffered for them too, the responsibility lies with you alone to reject the sin for which Jesu suffered, as this is the right way to love Him in our actions, not just our words.
Devotional
What areas in your life do you feel are compromised in terms of the authenticity of your relationship with Jesus?
I’d like to invite you to close your eyes and ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas in your life where you have made compromises. If you can clearly see an area where you are making compromises, use the opportunity to say this prayer, or your own:
Lord Jesus, thank you for suffering and dying on the cross to free me from my sins. Please forgive me for not always responding with conviction against the sins of the world. Please help me Holy Spirit to make intentional decisions so that I may live – and help others live – a life that is a living testimony to you. In your mighty, holy name I pray, Amen.
I am a volunteer blogger with a passion for God and writing. My hope is to help others choose faith – or to walk deeper in their faith – through my own introspections and observations.
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