Thursday, January 3: Genesis 3- The blame game .

Apparently we humans have been playing the blame game since 'The Fall’.

It’s not my fault…’so and so’ made me do it! That’s the blame game, placing responsibility for my life on to someone else when things go wrong.

Adam and Eve started the game immediately, attempting to cover their culpability in eating the forbidden fruit. God turns to Adam and asks, “Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"

The man said, "The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." It’s not my fault God, the woman YOU gave me … she made me do it!

Then turning to the women, God asks, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." It’s not my fault God, the serpent you put here… it made me do it!

We have been passing the buck ever since.

I mused about blaming others for my mistakes.  I can play that game with the best of them. And it is never good. Oh, in the moment it seems to relieve me of my responsibility but most often the truth comes out and then the weight of my mistake is greater, compounded by my lying and trying to wriggle out.

I wondered about why taking responsibility can be so difficult. I love taking responsibility when I do something right or well!

As I pondered all this, I found little comfort in the fact that Adam and Eve struggled with responsibility and so resorted to the blame game. It simply made me realize how deeply it was imbedded in the human psyche and therefore how hard it will be to overcome in my life…

Here’s to taking responsibility… ending the blame game in my life.

It won’t be easy but by God’s grace and help, it can be done.

Lord, I pray for Your grace and help to end the blaming of others and taking responsibility for my life. I pray for good and healthy communication skills as I live with and for You and with and for others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.