Stop Blaming Others
There is a new trend in society today that makes it acceptable to blame others. But is it acceptable?
I will never forget the time when someone came into my office and began telling me about some of the bad choices that they had made in life and then boldly told me that I was to blame. I have thought about this encounter over and over in my head and in my heart. Was I to blame?
The person sitting in the chair saying that I was at fault wanted me to believe that I was at fault because society has trained us to not take responsibility for our own actions. While I admit that we can contribute to the molding of a persons way of thinking, the ultimate responsibility of ones actions falls on them.
If a person buys a gun and uses it to harm someone, who is to blame? The gun salesman who sold the gun? The business owner who provided the gun for sale? Legislation that allows firearms to be accessible? Or the person who pulled the trigger?
We can argue all day about whether firearms should be legal to buy or not but when it comes down to it the only one responsible for making a choice to use their gun to commit a crime is the one holding the smoking gun.
We all are guilty of holding smoking guns. Not literally, but we all say things or act upon things that may not be in our best interest or the best interest of others. And the first thing that comes to mind when things go sour is to blame someone else. We see it all of the time in the news; a serial killler acted out because he was abandoned when he was young, a driver was speeding because everyone else was, a teenager shoplifts because his friend dared him. There’s one common factor in all of these examples: the blame game!
People who don’t want to take responsibility for themselves will blame others for their feelings, their thoughts, their choices and their actions. This blame game is not anything new, it started back in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Neither of them wanted to take responsibility either for their thoughts and their actions. So they blamed each other and then blamed the serpent which led them to blame God.
“The man said, ‘The woman gave me some fruit…and I ate it.'” (Genesis 3:12)
The story of Adam and Eve illustrates two very important lessons for us today. First, God will not accept our excuses. The excuses of Adam and Eve landed them with an eviction notice from the garden. God does not play around, He insists that we take responsibility for ourselves.
The second lesson from Adam and Eve is that God will not let us blame other people. God set the rules and BOTH Adam and Eve chose to disobey. There is a penalty for disobedience. It is up to each of us if we will obey and when our thoughts and our actions lead us away from obedience, no one is to blame but ourselves.
I understand that bad things happen to good people and there are some things that are not our fault. However, when it comes to our choices, we need to learn to take responsibility and stop blaming others when they aren’t the ones who pulled the trigger.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, lead me in Your righteousness. Cause me to see and understand the choices before me and guide me to make good choices. Give me the wisdom to not blame others for my downfall but help me instead to do what I know I cannot do without you. Make straight Your way before me. AMEN (prayer derived from Psalm 5:8)
BLESSINGS. Laurie
@copyright2019 laurieadams
*for more of my devotions, follow my devotion page on Facebook: womentakingastand
I often faced the “blame the teacher” mentality when I had a senior who wasn’t going to graduate. Often there were multiple causes in the home. God holds us accountable for all of our choices. I want to make my choices count.
Great message, Laurie. Yes, it is easy to blame others for our actions and shortcoming. It is one thing I do: I always step forward when I made a mistake.
Amen to that prayer.