Last week, my 7-year-old daughter opened her box of markers to create her latest work of art. As she pulled one out, she noticed it lacked a lid. Turning immediately to her 4-year-old sister, she interrogated, “What did you do with the marker lid?” The accused retorted with both innocence and annoyance in her voice, “I didn’t do anything.” Sensing the impasse, I approached my older daughter and reminded her not to jump to conclusions or falsely accuse her sister before having all of the facts. I then said, “Why don’t you look in your marker box first and make sure you haven’t overlooked the lid?” And guess what? Right there it was.
It is so much easier to accuse others when something goes wrong than to accept personal responsibility. And it’s not just children who make this mistake.
A popular pastime in our society is to blame others for “the direction of our country/culture.” We blame politicians, celebrities, the media, the previous generation, and other easy targets. The truth is none of these people have ever made me tell a lie, be unkind to my fellow man, or do anything good or bad. I am responsible for me. If anyone has ever influenced my decisions, it is only because I allowed them. And while I can’t control WHAT happens to me, I certainly have authority over WHO I become.
There is one other figure who often gets unfairly blamed – the devil. We all know that Satan is bad news. What we forget is that he doesn’t make us do anything. The Bible says as much in James 4:7 – “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” That puts me in control over temptation’s influence in my life. When I resist, the devil flees. By accepting this truth, I also accept accountability for the choices I make.
The blame game is easy. Sometimes it’s even fun. But it’s also incredibly destructive to my spiritual well-being and my relationships with others. Before unfairly blaming others for our misdeeds, let’s commit this week to being blessed and being a blessing by accepting responsibility for ourselves.
It is so much easier to accuse others when something goes wrong than to accept personal responsibility. And it’s not just children who make this mistake.
A popular pastime in our society is to blame others for “the direction of our country/culture.” We blame politicians, celebrities, the media, the previous generation, and other easy targets. The truth is none of these people have ever made me tell a lie, be unkind to my fellow man, or do anything good or bad. I am responsible for me. If anyone has ever influenced my decisions, it is only because I allowed them. And while I can’t control WHAT happens to me, I certainly have authority over WHO I become.
There is one other figure who often gets unfairly blamed – the devil. We all know that Satan is bad news. What we forget is that he doesn’t make us do anything. The Bible says as much in James 4:7 – “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” That puts me in control over temptation’s influence in my life. When I resist, the devil flees. By accepting this truth, I also accept accountability for the choices I make.
The blame game is easy. Sometimes it’s even fun. But it’s also incredibly destructive to my spiritual well-being and my relationships with others. Before unfairly blaming others for our misdeeds, let’s commit this week to being blessed and being a blessing by accepting responsibility for ourselves.
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