The Blame Game – Jane H. Young
“And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Genesis 3:11-13 NASB)
Adam was quick justify himself and blame God (“the woman you gave to be with me”), then he blamed Eve (“she gave me from the tree”). Adam admitted he ate from the tree, but only because of God and Eve. Adam was not claiming responsibility for the action taken because he liked what he saw and decided on his own to eat it. Then Eve thought Adam’s response was pretty clever, so what does she say? (“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”) Eve was offering no accountability for her part in this whole mess either.
Adam and Eve were trying to play the powerless victim in this, but actually, they did just what they wanted — they ate, (and not because someone made them). The fruit looked good and they were hungry, so they ‘chowed’ down, not caring about the consequences of their actions.
We should be careful to not take on the victim mentality when we are in control of our own decisions. We can’t blame our parents, teachers, friends, government or the devil when we make bad choices. We need to take 100% responsibility for our deliberate decisions in life. Owning our part in any situation empowers us to make better choices in the future.
“The naive believes everything, But the sensible man considers his steps.” (Proverbs 14:15 NASB)
Prayer: Lord help me not to make quick decisions because of fleshly desires. Help me to be wise in all my choices.
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