Blame the President. Blame Congress. Blame the oil companies. Blame the banks. Blame the rich. Blame the Democrats. Blame the Republicans. Blame Wall Street. Blame Hollywood.
And this national blame game spills over into our personal lives. We blame coworkers for not producing. We blame spouses for not communicating. We blame the other guy for causing the accident.
Rarely do we hear the words, “Blame me.”
There’s a tendency to look at everyone else’s work and find fault.
I had a High School English teacher who was at the same time an unforgiving task-master and a skilled motivator. She often would admonish us while we took our exams to “keep our eyes on our own paper.”
I'm not sure if it's because she was worried about us cheating or if it was just an effort to get us to focus on our own work. Probably a little of both.
There was one classmate who spent nearly half his class time with his chin lifted high so he could sneak a peek from the desk of the Class Whiz’s paper.
What’s the point? God wants us to focus our energy on what's in front of us and to not worry about others. Personal responsibility is a foundational principle to our nation and a key to living a well-rounded life.
What do you think about personal responsibility? Comment here.
"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."
James 4:17
11 comments so far - add yours here:
I grew up in a household where determining fault was an important first step to resolving any problem: "Who left the refrigerator open?" "Whose socks are those on the living room floor?"
I'm not condoning nor condemning this model, I'm simply reporting a fact.
It seems to have left two impressions on me: I'm quick to acknowledge my errors (sometimes claiming more responsibility than is appropriate)and I am short of patience with those who struggle with accountability.
I'm moving to a new place (slowly! one step forward, two steps back style!) where I focus on resolving the problem determining blame. Because almost all the time in my world, fixing the problem matters more than fixing blame.
Ok. Someone left the milk on the counter all day. Shall we launch an inquisition, or go to the store for more?
I think there is too much finger pointing these days and we would do a whole lot better if we started looking at ourselves as part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
Oh, gosh....it's sooo much easier to blame the other guy. Everyone knows it's George Bush's fault. :)
pesky apples ...
It is easy to play the blame game. Yet it is so unproductive and destructive in the long run. In the end, on the day of judgement our actions or lack of them will be brought to light. (Revelation 20:12) The book will contain records of our deeds, whether they are good or evil. God knows everything that has ever been said, done, or even thought, and He will judge us accordingly.
(Psalm 28:4)(Romans 2:6) This should make us shake in our boots and desire to walk the path of righteousness.
I am so quick to point the finger. Too quick. Sometimes at work I spend 15 minutes scouring old emails just so I can blame someone else. I need to practice saying, "Blame me." And then I need to say it for real sometimes.
I have witnesses others caught in the trap of blaming others and seen the end result. A Head Cook suffering under a workload that he just couldn't manage but insisting it's everyone else that's not pulling their weight... A Pastor struggling to bring people into an ever dwindling church, all the while insisting the people are leaving because they have a 'spirit of Jezebel', and not because of his controlling manner... and in my own life too; staying in an organization I knew wasn't right for me but blaming the CEO and his attitude rather than facing up to my fear of breaking away on my own...
In the end, blaming others only brings trouble for yourself. I know. Today I'm accepting that my unhappiness is my fault and I'm moving on! :)
For the part of a situation that I am to blame for, accepting responsibility gives myself control to change the situation.
For the part of a situation that is NOT my responsibility, accepting blame anyway (probably from my enemy the accuser), I will be frustrated that I cannot change my situation, and further frustrated by the need to wait for God to change it.
And if I believe someone else is to blame, I've found it's well worthwhile to pray that God will keep my mouth shut until He directs the when and how to say something about it.
The perfect example: my mom was drivng in the car talking, not realizing her speed was over 80 in a 55 mph zone. The officer pulled her over and the first words out her mouth to him were: I'm guilty, I'm guilty. --Talk about owning up. Not sure if I would be so quick to admit.
It is no small thing to accept blame. Maybe accepting blame would make us bigger people...?
When I was in 3rd grade I sat next to a kid (a bully) who I knew would copy my entire paper. He was that dumb. So I wrote down all wrong answers (in pencil) then left for a minute to use the bathroom. When I came back (to a smug smile on his face), I secretly erased all the answers and replaced them with the right ones, without him seeing me do it.
You should have seen his face when the graded tests came back. Every question he got was wrong.
Sorry, I'm not answering your question but you reminded me of that rich passive-aggressive story from my past.
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