Being wrong is never fun
No one likes feeling guilty or bearing blame, especially if it’s undeserved. But until someone is willing to carry the weight, nothing will change.
“Who told you that you were naked?” 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)
As children, we can’t wait to grow up. Most children I know fantasize about the freedom that comes with adulthood. You can drive. You can date. You can do whatever you want, because you are an adult.
Right? Were any of you that way?
What most kids don’t understand is that being an adult means accepting two words that are enough to terrify the bravest of souls: Responsibility and Consequences.
Responsibility is a terrifying word, and Consequences is even worse. And as children, we have no concept of what they mean. But as adults, we are all too familiar.
When you take responsibility for something that goes wrong, that means you have to deal with the fallout. You have to face the consequences when you are wrong. And, we can all agree that being wrong is never fun. That’s been true since the beginning of time, when our first parents had to face the consequences for the choice they made in the Garden of Eden.
I’ve always read this passage in Genesis 3 with a bit of irritation. Because what was Adam even thinking? Why did he think shifting the blame to Eve would accomplish anything? Granted, Eve mimicked Adam and shifted the blame to the serpent.
But don’t we do the same thing? Don’t we point fingers at people or situations before we accept responsibility personally for a choice we made? Even if we know, deep inside, that the problem started with us, it’s so much easier to blame someone else.
It gets us out of trouble, doesn’t it?
Maybe. Temporarily. But shifting the blame doesn’t take care of the problem. Blaming someone else for your own shortcomings doesn’t fix the issue. Someone has to take responsibility.
No one likes feeling guilty. No one likes bearing blame, especially if it’s undeserved. (Imagine how Jesus felt.) But until someone is willing to carry the weight, nothing will change.
It’s not always fair. It’s never fun. But it is the humble response. When you are facing the consequences of an action you took, don’t shift the blame. And even if it wasn’t solely your fault, resist the urge to point fingers. It rarely helps.
Granted, this doesn’t give people a license to treat you like a doormat. There are always exceptions, and you should have healthy boundaries in your life to protect yourself for this very reason.
Just remember, your worth and value to God isn’t changed by how few (or how many) times you miss the mark. He knows your heart. He knows your situation. If you are unjustly blamed, He will make the truth known when the time is right.
Questions for Reflection
Why do you think people are so afraid of accepting responsibility?
When was a time you were unfairly blamed for someone else’s wrong choice?
Why do you think God allows His followers to be unjustly blamed?
Weekly Memory Verse
Join my author community by signing up for my regular emails. I send out fun stories and updates about my books, along with the occasional freebie!
Why do you think God allows His followers to be unjustly blamed? Well Jesus was unjustly blamed for things all throughout His time walking on Earth. So I think it gives us a glimpse into the fact Jesus understands and as followers of Jesus we too will not live a life that is fair or free from false accusations.