“He started it.” – “No I didn’t. She did.” 
“He touched me.” – “She looked at me.”
“I didn’t do it.”
“It’s not my fault.”
“I couldn’t help it.”
The Blame Game. We have all played it, haven’t we? We blame other people, circumstances, surroundings – anything but taking responsibility ourselves. We often times blame other people for the decisions we make in life. Mostly we blame others when we make bad decisions, or at least not the best decisions. Strange, isn’t it? When good things happen, we love to
take credit. But, when things go south, we are looking to shift blame. I remember the saying that when we point a finger at someone or something, there are several fingers pointing back to us. The truth eventually shows itself.
I was thinking this morning about trash. I’m not sure why that came to mind but it’s just one example of not taking responsibility. I bag up trash each week and set it out to be picked up. Then, my house looks clean and I don’t have to think about what happens to it after it leaves my driveway. The fact is, the trash I put out does make a difference. It makes a difference to the environment. It’s going someplace and making an impact there and beyond. Trash is only one example of how we can ignore our actions and push them off on someone else. But, those decisions always impact us as well as others.
Not accepting responsibility is nothing new. People have been shifting blame forever. It started in the Garden of Eden. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the Serpent. The Israelites blamed Moses. On and on it goes – The Blame Game. It’s time to move on to another game and leave this Blame Game behind us. We know that there will come a day when we will be forced to accept responsibility. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:35-37) 
We might as well admit our mistakes and accept responsibility for our actions, attitudes and words. God already knows everything about us and is ready to forgive us. We only need to admit and ask. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus prayed for us. In Luke 23:34 “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing…”
Don’t we all appreciate it when someone admits their mistakes and takes responsibility instead of passing the buck? Let’s be that person. Humble and Honest (with ourselves and others and most importantly, with God). We are all in this game of life together but at the end of this age, we will all stand alone before God. I don’t know about you but I shudder to think of all the careless words I’ve spoken and the number of times I have played the Blame Game. Let’s live responsibly and make a positive difference this day. People are watching.
Anyway, back to my story of yesterday. I was just going to move it a couple of inches and see how that would work. So, rather than unload everything, I just pushed. Evidently I was only pushing from the top. I heard something pop and walked to the other end and realized something broke loose. So, I unloaded the shelves. Then I proceeded to push again – this time determined to move it out of the room. Wrong move – another series of sounds let me know that I had made matters worse. Before I was done, I had a couple of boards pulling away from the shelves and had torn a piece off the corner. Now my dilemma got worse. I pulled up on one end and it came loose from the bottom. Now I had a book case that swayed one way and the other. I couldn’t turn it over on its side because the bottom was staying put. YIKES. I hate when that happens. So, I finally got it out into the hallway (still now sure how) and propped up both ends with small furniture pieces so I could finish my rearrangement and cleaning. Realizing that all of this could have/would have been avoided if I had simply waited until my husband got home to help me. But, that would have been a few hours. Who can wait that long? Evidently, not me. Patience Please.
I want to be addicted to God to the point that being with Him and following His lead are both a habit and obsession. In order to truly love others, I must love GOD FIRST and MOST – all the time. Only then will the light of God shine in my life for others to see.
n yesterday, older than yesteryears). I am not totally gray but when I get out in the sunshine or see photos, I realize that it’s gaining on the other colors in there. To date, I have decided not to color my hair. Many reasons figure into my decision. My hair grows fast and I can’t imagine having to touch up every couple of weeks. You can’t find my “before gray” color in any bottle. That means, any color I choose would not look natural. Of course at this point in time, anyone who saw me would know that I had colored my hair so I guess it wouldn’t matter what color I chose. I could go red or black if I wanted. Probably the main reason though is that coloring my hair on a regular basis is just plain more “high maintenance” than I am willing to commit to at this point in my life. Maybe it just boils down to laziness. Whatever the reason, until my husband, daughter or hairdresser tell me – “It’s Time!” I’ll let nature take it’s course. After all, look at this “Bible bite” I found…
e only detours we take in life, are they? We can be going down a path toward our goals and something derails us. Before we know it, we have left that path and forged another. I know that in my own life, I have consistently exercised for a long time (same time each day) and then got sidetracked or derailed. For some strange reason it is always very hard for me to get back on the path I had started – the one toward my goal. Same with healthy eating. I will do well for a while and then have one of my “trigger foods” and spiral back into old habits. How about our spiritual walks? We are consistently in God’s Word, prayer, fellowshipping with other believers and then – BAM! Something happens and pretty soon we let worry, new commitments, other desires take over the time we used to spend with God. Before we know it, God is not in first place and sometimes not even in second or third. We just call on Him when WE THINK we need Him.
construction crews, those behind the wheel who frustrate us, any other need we see as we travel. And of course, we can spend the time praising God for the blessings He has given us. Funny how it works but as we count our blessings in praise and thanksgiving to God, pretty soon our delays and annoyances won’t seem so big and bad after all. We may even start looking at detours as opportunities for growth. We can refocus and go forward in peace and joy. Acts 2:28 “You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.” I wish you all joy and peace along whatever path God leads you.
So, we were created to rule over the other creatures. See, God proves it above. The problem is, the rabbits in our garden have somehow forgotten that! In recent weeks, I have felt like we were living out “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” and that we were Mr. McGregor. Our garden is really beautiful, thanks to the efforts of my husband and the blessings of God. However, the rabbits have eaten as much as we have so far! I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I have seen the rabbits simply walk down between the rows eating first from one row to their side and then another. So frustrating! They ended up eating ALL of the tops of the radishes. Finally, they had to be dug up because there
bit problem this year is that the field behind our house was sold to a developer. Thus, no beautiful wheat blowing in the wind, no corn or bean rows, just waist high weeds. Lots of room for rabbits to live and multiply. Who knows what else is living back there! Yesterday I saw a rabbit just on the other side of the garden so I went outside and yelled and clapped my hands to run him off. He just looked at me. I seriously had to get within 8 feet of him, still clapping and yelling, before he finally hopped off down the back of the garden and towards the front yard. He was not one bit afraid of me. I know I must have looked a sight!
Gather Around for God 