Irresponsibility and Blame

As we saw in Monday's post, when we act irresponsible, someone must shoulder the burden for our irresponsibility. Yesterday, I reflected on the story of the original sin of Adam and Eve, and noted that if it appears that we are the one who will shoulder that responsibility, our tendency is to try to shift the blame to someone else or even to our circumstances.

And when we attempt to shift blame, it always creates conflict. Think what must have been going through Eve's mind as she her Adam, when confronted by God, shifting the blame to her. Don't you know she was furious (and probably a little frightened as well). Why do we do that? It's not even an effective tool is it? Have you ever known someone who always shifted the blame to others? Do you want to be like that person? Would you hire him at your business?

But not only does blame create conflict with others, it always creates conflict within ourselves. Why? Because we know the truth, don't we? We may fool everyone else, but we know exactly where the problem lies, don't we? We were created to be responsible, and when act irresponsible and expect someone is to be responsible for our irresponsibility, we can never fulfill our God-designed potential.