Day 20: It’s Not My Fault

Read: Genesis 3:11-13

            We all have a sense of right and wrong. Everything we do is a result of a decision we make. That also goes with the consequences that follow. If you’re trying to lose weight and eat a dozen donuts, you’re not going to get to your goal weight. You can’t blame the store/shop that sold you the donuts for all the calories you just ate. You also can’t blame the ad you saw that tempted you to get them in the first place. And . . . you definitely can’t blame the corporation that created the ad that popped up on your phone. 

            Do you realize how ridiculous the cycle of blame can get? Because when it really comes down to it, we are responsible for the decisions we make in our life. And, we should be held accountable for our actions. 

            The story in Genesis 3 continues to show what happens when you point blame. In Verse 11, God asks Adam, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” Instead of simply saying “yes,” in verse 12 Adam responds, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Adam actually has the audacity to not only blame Eve but also God! After all, God was the one who created Eve.

Because of Adam’s response, God questions the woman in verse 13, “Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this that you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’” Eve follows along in her Adam’s footsteps, and says that because someone deceived her, that’s why she decided to sin. She so cunningly moves the blame to someone else.

It’s not surprising that we so easily blame one another. Our very first ancestors did just that, and right in the physical presence of God Himself! And we do this in our everyday lives, whether that is clear to us in the moment or not. It happens when we make excuses for our own behavior. We use typical cliches like “My dog ate my homework” or, “My alarm didn’t go off.” We have come as far as to blame inanimate objects for our personal failures. 

We need to be cautious about letting ourselves fall into the blame game. We can make as many excuses as we want, we can blame everyone and everything else. But, who is really to blame? When will we accept the mistakes we make? Or, will there always be something, someone to blame? 

We should learn from the errors of others, and not follow their poor examples. We need to stop blaming one another and take responsibility for our actions. Let that be our constant prayer, and pray that God frees us from that trap.