Stop Playing the Blame Game
12 The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.” - Genesis 3:12
It may not always be your fault, but it is always your responsibility.
Fault focuses on who caused the problem. Responsibility focuses on who will own the outcome.
This is something we all have struggled with and has been a struggle since the beginning of humanity.
God who created Adam and Eve, let them roam the garden freely and instructed them on a single rule.
Stay away from the tree.
They decided to be disobedient, ate from the tree, and then tried to hide.
Imagine waking up and choosing to blame everyone around you for a situation you influenced.
Now imagine if “everyone” were your spouse and your creator.
That’s exactly what Adam did when he was confronted by God.
When God confronted Adam after he ate from the tree, He asked a series of questions.
Not because He didn’t know the answers, but to invite Adam to take responsibility and give him some form of mercy.
“Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
Adam replies not once but twice, assigning blame to anyone but himself.
Adam says, (CSB) - “The woman you gave to be with me, she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate”.
He blames God for giving him Eve, but then blames Eve for giving him the fruit.
Adam didn’t just avoid blame, he missed an opportunity for confession, which can lead to mercy, and instead chose concealment, which blocks growth.
How often do we go about our day not taking responsibility for the things we could have controlled?
Sometimes we run into situations that fall outside our control
When a project falls behind, when a conversation goes sideways, or when a relationship becomes strained, it may not be entirely your fault, but it’s still your responsibility to get it right.
But when it is your fault, be sure to take responsibility.
It may not always be your fault. But whether it is or it isn’t, don’t be like Adam.
When you commit to taking responsibility, your behavior changes.
You plan differently, you speak differently, and you act with integrity because you already know that if something goes wrong, you will have to be the first to raise your hand.
A simple rule: Before you try to make an excuse, ask yourself.
“What part of this can I own?”
This may be a hard pill to swallow but take responsibility and watch your life transform.
-G. Banks
The one who conceals his sins
will not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them
will find mercy. - Proverbs 28:13