Surprised by Joy
April 18, 2024
The Blaming Heart
May 30, 2018
And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" And the man said, "The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." -GENESIS 3:11-12
Once, rushing to catch an airplane, I ran over my own suitcase and tried to blame it on Jo Beth. Late, I dashed to the house and threw clothing into my suitcase. In the garage, I remembered my suit bag. I left the suitcase at the car, and zoomed back to get the bag. Then I hopped in the car, threw it in reverse and pancaked my suitcase! I scowled at Jo Beth, “This is all your fault! You should have had my bag packed!”
People voted “Most Likely To Succeed” sometimes don’t. Often, it’s because they passed on blame for a personal failure. I was late for the airplane because I had overscheduled, not because of Jo Beth.
We’ve all seen parents with blaming hearts. If their kid messes up it’s because of the coach, teacher, principle, preacher or some other leader. We develop blaming hearts because we deceive ourselves into thinking our mistakes are never our own.
In the end, it’s our own heart we run over and crush.
TODAY’S FOCUS
Ask God for the ability to see your own mistakes and the courage to take responsibility for them.
