Blame Game
I love the Peanuts cartoon that showed Peppermint Patty talking to Charlie Brown. She said, “Guess what, Chuck. The first day of school and I got sent to the principal’s office. It was your fault, Chuck.” He said, “My fault? How could it be my fault? Why do you say everything is my fault?” She said, “You’re my friend, aren’t you, Chuck? You should have been a better influence on me.”
When we make mistakes, or when things just go wrong, there can be a tendency to want to look for someone else to blame – blame God, blame our spouse, blame the boss, blame the job…. I think back to the book of Genesis, when Adam was confronted about eating the apple, he blamed Eve, “The woman made me do it!” Eve in turn blamed the snake! It is human nature.
However, when we own up to our mistakes, when we admit our shortcomings and failures, we develop our integrity and character. And, when we learn from these mistakes, we grow as human beings.
In the book of 1 John we read: “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Let us pray: Gracious God, we thank you that you offer forgiveness for sins and grace for our failures. Help us to own up to our mistakes, to learn from them and then to begin again. May we know your love and mercy this day. Amen.
Daily Message Author: Joe Albright
Joe began his ministry in Sarasota, Florida as an associate pastor, and it was in this capacity that he worked alongside the Reverend Dr. Roger Kunkel. Roger was a colleague who became a mentor and treasured friend. From Sarasota, Joe was called to Jacksonville, Florida where he served as the Head of Staff at Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church. Currently, Joe and his family worship and serve at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Switzerland, Florida. Full Bio
