The Blame Game

By Gobel Brockman


It's fun listening to sports fans, especially when their favorite team loses. You can almost bet the farm you're going to hear this: "The referees were HORRIBLE!" But have you ever noticed that when their team wins, you never hear them say, "The referees did a great job tonight!" Why? We're always looking for something or someone to blame when things go wrong. We can't simply say, "My team didn't play well" or "The other team just played a great game tonight". No, when the outcome isn't to our liking, there HAS to be someone to blame.

It's not really our fault. (Pun intended.) It goes back to the Garden of Eden. God placed Adam and Eve there, and told them they could have anything there except the fruit of one tree. They partook of it anyway. When God confronted them about it, what was their response?

Adam - "The woman, which You gave me, gave it to me..."
Eve - "The serpent tricked me..."

So Adam blames Eve - and even God for giving her to him. Eve blames to serpent. And we've been doing it ever since. The problem is, they didn't get away with it. And neither will we. There's something that our society seemingly wants to get away from: personal responsibility. A well-known radio personality recently said this: "One problem with liberalism is that it wants life without consequence. And when there's no consequence, there's no virtue." The problem is, it's not going to happen. You and I WILL be held accountable for our lives. Maybe not by society, but certainly by God.

So how do we deal with all of this? I want to introduce you to three little words that are among the most liberating in the English language: I WAS WRONG. No excuses, no blaming others, I WAS WRONG. I messed up. I take full responsibility for what I did. The story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 illustrates this. Once he realized he was in a mess, he said, "I will arise and go to my father and say, I have sinned...". Have you messed up? Are there things in your life that are in shambles right now because of your actions or decisions? If so, there's hope. But it begins with you going to your Father and saying those three little words. You'll get nowhere until you do.

If you're looking for healing and forgiveness, go to the Father. But if you're looking for someone to blame, find a mirror.