Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?"
Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world's light."
--John 9:1-5 (MSG)
You've heard the phrase before..."Playing the Blame Game". The phrase sounds kind of childish until you realize that a person of any age can contribute to the act of blaming others...I know I have...even as a grown man. And to blame others for our problems is truly the height of futility, isn't it? Where does it get us? How does it solve anything? It doesn't! And yet, blaming others has been, and still is, a favorite pastime of the human race.
So why do we look for blame in others? I think it's because blaming is easier than fixing and criticizing another person is easier than improving ourselves. It takes work (sometimes hard work) to legitimately solve our own issues. It's our lack of motivation to push through the difficulties of problem solving that leave us inclined to worry, blame, and then criticize. As a result of doing this, the problems we're facing remain unsolved.
So what can we do to help ourselves? It's simple. Stop looking for someone to blame and instead look for what you can fix. Even if it's inside yourself. Once you find that "something", don't hesitate, get to work fixing it!
The greatest benefit of owning our mistakes is that we get the opportunity to learn from them. By not blaming others, we give ourselves the opportunity to experience God's work in our lives. Our situations and our mistakes do not have to define us when we allow God to use them and ourselves for His purposes.
There's no better place to be.
Comments