Someone to blame
The Lord God asked, “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” Genesis 3:11-12
This account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden has a very contemporary ring to it. Blaming others is as much a way of life in today’s world as it was for Adam long ago. He knew he had done wrong in eating the forbidden fruit, but he was desperate to wriggle out of the situation and place the blame on Eve. However, he even went further than that, suggesting that God bore some responsibility, too, because God had given Eve to him.
We all know the temptation to blame others. Our parents, children, teachers, employers and the governments under which we have lived are all far from perfect, so we generously heap blame on them. But that isn’t good enough, and we know it. We need to take responsibility and recognise that, although we are certainly not the only guilty party, we must accept responsibility and own up to the fact that we have done wrong, too.
I know people who continually blame others. That is so sad. Their attitude not only makes their own lives miserable but spreads misery to those around them, too. Others may indeed be to blame but, if we only draw attention to their failures, we get a completely distorted understanding of them. May God help us to be generous, loving and forgiving when looking at the faults of others, recognising our own shortcomings as well. Blaming other people might feel satisfying for a short while, but it offers a miserable way of life in the long term.
QUESTION
Think of someone whom you are inclined to blame. What would be the better way of responding to them?
PRAYER
Lord, forgive me that I am often tempted to blame others when things go wrong. Help me to take responsibility for my failings and to show more patience and forgiveness when others do wrong. Amen