Taking responsibility

Ok, here's the situation. Let's say that you have some sort of job. I'll take an elementary example: your job is to count how many of your classmates want milk each day. You take your job very seriously because you don't want someone who wanted milk to have to go without, and you don't want to order milk you don't need and have it go to waste. One day, you are the last to get into your classroom in the morning. You aren't late, but you were just a little slower than normal. You come in, only to find that your friend Hephzibah has already taken the milk count and given it to the teacher in your name. Now you have a dilemma:

1. For one thing, you know that Hephzibah is an intelligent and responsible girl, and she probably got the milk count right. However, you know if she didn't, the teacher will still hold you responsible. Should you
• Re-take the count yourself and risk offending Hephzibah or
• Let it be and risk taking the blame if she messed up?
2. Another thought running through your mind is the issue of authority. In some sense, it seems like Hephzibah usurped your authority by taking over your job without even asking. In another sense, she has usurped the teachers authority. The teacher choose you to take the milk count, not Hephzibah, and by taking the milk count herself, Hephzibah is not following the order of leadership ordained by the teacher.
3. You also really want to be responsible and not slack on your given job. If you give this job over to Hephzibah (she continues to do it before you have the chance), are you failing to obey the authority that has given this job to you?

I realize, of course, that these are not likely to be the actual thoughts of an elementary student who's job is to take the milk count. I will admit, though, that there have been several times when I have had thoughts similar to these. I also wonder, though I've never been married, if these thought sometimes are echoed in the struggle for power between a husband and wife. It seems there are often marriages where the wife has reached for the authority which God ordained to be the husband's, and the husband chooses just to give it up without a fuss. Clearly, that is not right. I think the situations I am in are generally less clear cut, however. The authority granted to me in various jobs and situations is certainly not specifically laid out in the Bible.

This is something that I've been trying to figure out for sometime. The problem is, if you try to maintain the authority that you think you've been given, huge conflict can occur. In the example above, if you tell Hephzibah that she needs to stop taking the milk count because its the job the teacher gave you, she may well refuse to believe you. She could say things like, "Do you think you are the only person here who is smart enough to take the milk count?" or "You don't have the right to tell me what to do (or not do)." or "The teacher never really gave you that job." Or, if you tell her that you are going to be held responsible for her mistakes she may refuse to believe you. What then? How can you resolve this conflict AND do the job that you are supposed to do?

Add to this the complication that maybe you ARE mistaken in the teacher's wishes. She told you at the beginning of the year that she wanted you to take the milk count, but it's not in writing. Maybe she changed her mind. Maybe Hephzibah really is better at it any way. Or, to change the situation a little, maybe you are class president, and it is traditional for the class president to take up the milk count. However, the teacher just asked Hephzibah to take the milk count. A job that you think should have been yours was assigned else where. What now?

This blog is getting longer and more convoluted than I intended. I think my question comes down to this. When I struggle with things like this in real life, what sin do I need to watch out for? When I try to be responsible, am I doing it out of pride? Maybe there is something I should be more concerned about than the responsibility? When someone takes a job or responsibility that I think should be mine, whether "fairly" or "unfairly" what should be my response? Is there a way I should pursue getting that job back, or should I just let it go? Or does it vary? Pursuing the job will likely result in conflict, which most often is caused by (or leads to) sin. How can I personally avoid sinning here? I know I can always work on my attitude, but assuming I'm right there, is there a way I can lovingly tell someone to allow me to do my job?

Hopefully this makes some sense to anyone who might read this. And, if anyone who reads this has any brilliant ideas on how to react to these sorts of situations in a godly way, I would welcome the thoughts. :)