Duty can be an incredibly positive and honourable thing. It can also be a counterfeit form of love and can even kill it. It is a gallows upon which many christians martyr themselves. Doing our Duty, Oughts, Obligations, Musts and Shoulds, or ‘DOOMS’ as I call them, can slowly kill us inside, leaving us tired and resentful. Long term carers and people with low self-esteem are often particularly susceptible to them. Sermons, conferences, charities and books can be a huge source of them and the list can feel endless. Attempting to do all my DOOMS would take me until the year 2350 to complete, and bankrupt me by early next week. The DOOMS can ultimately stop us from discovering who God made us to be and what he really wants us to do.
If you were really brave which of your DOOMS would you give up?
So good, stealing DOOMS