The Blame Game

The blame game is definitely nothing new. It started at the beginning of creation with Adam and Eve. Adam said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Genesis 3:12 In one sentence Adam blamed God and Eve for his sin. Adam believed he had absolutely nothing to do with it.

There are those who blame others for everything and those who are willing to take the blame for everything. Then there are some who may accept some responsibility. If you never accept the blame or always accept the blame you will probably end up getting married to each other. Either situation will keep a person from growing and maturing.

Why do people blame? To justify their actions and behaviors. If I can blame someone for my behavior then I don’t have to take responsibility for myself. No matter what happens to us in our life or who does what the bottom line is how we respond and not react. However, the way we respond to it will definitely reveal our maturity. It continues to amaze me how far some will go to justify their sin. We live in a country that promotes and encourages people to not accept responsibility for their actions. As long as there are people willing to accept the blame there will be someone there to let them.

I remember watching the TV show Home Improvement when Jill had done something wrong to Tim. Tim had finally convinced himself that it must have been his fault for a problem they were having. Jill had come to the realization it really was her fault. When Tim came home they both said they had something to tell each other. He forced her to let him go first so he took responsibility for the problem. Then when he asked her what she was going to say she said, “It was anything important.” So she let him go ahead a take the blame for something that was her fault.

People love it when we take the blame because they feel it releases them from any responsibility. It really doesn’t but it makes them feel that way and it keeps them from growing.

Why is growth so important? If you are a parent, then you will see this analogy more clearly. Imagine if your children stopped growing and maturing somewhere around 2 years old and they weren’t potty trained. For the rest of your life this is where your children remained. At that age they are cute, but cute only last for so long. I was glad to see my boys mature, become independent and move out.

Now how does God see us? He wants to mature spiritually so He doesn’t have to deal with our pettiness. Are we maturing and moving forward or are we stuck? Sometimes people will see our immaturity as cute, but before too long we will lose friends quickly.
We may justify ourselves with us and others, but never with God.