(11.13.20—Excuses! – James 1:13-15)
My friend, may I ask you a question? Shifting blame for the bad things that happen in our lives is easy. Is it because it’s so easy we’ve even invented a variety of ways of doing it?
My friend, life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.
I’m M. Clifford Brunner?
Who is to blame for most of the problems in your life? If you’re like me you could probably make a list with more than just a couple of names on it pretty quick. Let’s see, there’s that boss who didn’t understand me and I ended up quitting a job that paid pretty well. Or, how can I forget, that guy who pulled in front of me on the freeway years ago and then braked; I can still remember the sound of all that crunching metal. Then there was that auto mechanic who charged me more than he said he would; and, let’s not forget everyone’s favorite, the government. Those politicians seem to have my name right in the middle of their radar screen when it comes to screwy laws and higher taxes. The list is endless. In fact, it even seems comforting to an extant putting it together. Putting a blame list together kind of takes the pressure off and you feel better when all is said and done. It’s a simple way of taking control of your life back from those who’ve made things difficult. The problem is, who’s really to blame?
Shifting blame for the bad things that happen in our lives is easy. It’s easy because blame comes naturally programmed into each of us at birth. It’s so easy we’ve even invented a variety of ways of doing it.
Here’s a story: A radio news series about honesty in America talked about excuses. The commentator said that people use three types of excuses when guilty of wrongdoing. The first is outright denial, a rejection of any involvement. Sometimes this is done even though the person is obviously guilty. The second is the "It's not my fault" excuse. The person looks around for someone he can blame. (Often it is a loved one - a husband or wife or parent. Sometimes it's the boss.) A third form of excuse is the "I did it, but let me explain" approach. In this instance the person blames circumstances for his shortcoming. Either he's been struggling with some illness or the assignment wasn't clear or the car's been giving him trouble. Alarmingly, the most common reason for things going wrong, our own fault, is the least common excuse given by most. (Source Unknown.)
We live in an entitlement culture. That culture has a sneaky way of getting us to rely on blame and fault to justify our own wrong desires and actions. The entitlement mentality is all about rejecting responsibility and making sure that others bear the responsibility for everything that goes wrong in our lives. If we can’t blame the other guy then we must blame the “system” and vice-versa. No-fault has actually become a way of living as evidenced by the fact that there’s insurance available for just about anything that could go wrong in our lives. But, you know, there’s one thing no insurance agent can insure us from; and that is our own fault. I guess that’s one fault we’ll just have to deal with no matter what.
We pray. Heavenly Father. We live in an entitlement conscious society that is all about rejecting responsibility and making sure that others bear the responsibility for everything that goes wrong in our lives. We can’t blame the other guy then we blame the “system” and vice-versa. Forgive us Lord when we don’t take responsibility for our own faulty lives. It has become so bad in our culture Lord that it has become a way of living. Thank you Lord that there’s one thing no insurance agent can insure us from; and that is our own fault. Help us by Your Spirit to take responsibility for our own faults. We have many, and need to confess our sins daily, seeking forgiveness and the ability to overcome the mistakes we make in our lives every day. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!
Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.
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<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.