Do you take full ownership when things go awry? Two people I have known illustrate the opposite ends of this spectrum. I will call them Don and Ron. Which one best resembles you?

Situation #1: I scheduled a meeting with Don. Or attempted to. A number of issues on Don’s part significantly delayed the important meeting from even being scheduled. Based on his track record, this was not entirely surprising, though frustrating. Hurdle after hurdle had to be overcome, and a curveball occurred in the ninth hour. Finally at the meeting and without a trace of ownership or any feelings of remorse or responsibility over all the difficulties that had been encountered leading up to that moment, Don dismissively replied to all concern by stating that “God is sovereign.” How can you argue with that truth?

Situation #2: The following was such a stark contrast that it made a deep impression on me. On a later date at a different place, I easily scheduled a meeting with Ron. I showed up on time and texted to let Ron know I was at the locked front door. Then I waited. And waited. Over ten minutes passed. When Ron finally showed up at the door, he was profusely apologetic. At the conclusion of our meeting, Ron once again reiterated how horrible he felt about the initial wait. Grateful for the full ownership taken of his uncharacteristic delay, I tried to once again reassure Ron that all was good. And all was truly good. How comforting that God is sovereign over our shortcomings and we have the ability to extend grace to one another.

When things to go awry, how much concern do we show others for any inconvenience we have caused? How much blame are we willing to bear? How much ownership do we take for our failures? Are we more like Dismissive Don or Respectful Ron?