In thinking upon my own faults and shortcomings, and trying to see how God would have me become a better Christian, the main personal sin I've come up with is pride. Further thought has led me to assert that this is a sin that could, most likely, be applied to every single human. It seems that pride is what leads us to even think of disobeying God, let alone actually disobey. We take ourselves out of the natural order, and place ourselves above God, putting us in the position of authority, with the power to disobey. Not many sins are universal, but I believe this problem of pride is such. Can we agree on that?
It took an extreme case for the lightbulb to click, but I think I see this manifestation in our society's practice of placing blame on another, or providing excuse after excuse for our faults. Is it just me, or does it seem like no one takes responsibility for their actions anymore? The particular case that tipped me off, although not an uncommon occurrance, was a volunteer blaming me for his inability to keep his schedule straight.
The practice of admitting one's faults, and accepting the consequences of our actions, build humility. These are the situations through which God can really help us work on one of our greatest sins. The more we practice humility, the more our mindsets allow us to view ourselves as the lowly servants that we are (as Christians).
I think it's fairly simple to deduce that we should take responsibility for our actions, as a way of being Christlike, but my question is, how should we, as Christians, deal with those around us who blame us for their actions?
2 comments:
That's a hard one, Jess. I can, right off the top of my head, name a dozen occasions in which I blamed someone else for my own shortcoming or lack of planning. In fact, it's so common that I had a harder time thinking of a time when I took responsibility without providing an excuse that blamed someone else!
I guess I don't have an answer for your question other than to tell you to call me out when you see me do it!!
I didn't mean to play the innocent! I know I have done and will do this very thing!
Maybe it is a matter of holding each other responsible, and not lashing out when something is brought to our attention?
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