It is very clear that many people today have a problem with accepting blame for their actions. When they make a mistake, they try to cover it up. When they get caught in a lie, they lie some more. When someone is found out, the person tries to pin the blame on someone else. There is a lot of pointing fingers and a lack of integrity in this world.
This was an issue with my kids when they were younger and I’m sure that my sister and I did the same thing when we were young. Rather than accept the consequences, the blame is passed to someone else. I am not sure if it is a fear of punishment or something altogether different, but it happens. It actually has been happening since the very beginning. In Genesis 3, during the Fall, when God speaks with Adam regarding the apple, he points to Eve. When Eve responds to God, she points to the serpent.
If you don’t accept the blame when you are at fault, you become disillusioned. You begin to point to everyone else as the problem when you face consequences for your actions. You never can learn and grow from your mistakes and missteps when you do this, but instead, you will grow bitterness and anger because you think the world is out to get you. To be one of integrity, own up to your mistakes and learn from them. You will make mistakes. You will mess up. Accept this along with the consequences. God has so much more for you. Yes you will be corrected. Yes you will be rebuked. Yes you may pay a price for what you have done. But owning up to something and taking responsibility is important. Don’t play the blame game.
“The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.’ 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.’” – Genesis 3:12-13 [ESV]
Tania Gutekunst 