I have been trying to teach my grandson the importance of personal responsibility. I’ve listened to him at play with his siblings and other children and I hear him as he blames and accuses others of unfairness, cheating, instigating. In his view, it is the other person who is mostly at fault and not himself. He has a difficult time ” seeing” the whole picture. And, many times he won’t put himself in it when I’m trying to determine the reason for the adverse situation with others.
I realize he is but a child. And, I try very carefully to explain using case scenarios to portray where he fits in a given situation. When he eventually recognizes the points being made, he reconsiders and actually verbally repeats them in his own words. This is when he realizes his personal responsibility and he usually accepts it.
I reflect on some of our talks sometimes and recognize for myself times where I didn’t accept the personal responsibility in past situations because like him, I couldn’t “see” where I stood in the scenario. It is tricky. Our nature is to instinctively blame someone else. Simply put, it can be awkward and quite complex. However, we make it so!
It’s easier to avoid personal responsibility and shift the blame or responsibility on someone else. Why not? Most everyone does; in the workplace, in social settings, at home, at random, it just happens. Can you relate? I certainly can, and God’s Word clearly teaches against it. The prophet Ezekiel wrote, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right…he shall surely live. Ezekiel 18:4-5, 9
Each one of us is accountable for our own actions. That’s easy to understand, but seemingly more difficult to accept for many of us. In the Old Testament, the commands were coupled with blessings for obedience and disciplines for disobedience. What the Law did in the Old Testament was emphasize the importance for each person to respond uprightly to God’s truth.
There is no question that God proclaimed specifically what was right and what was wrong. And, he expected His people to do right. There is story after story of specific instruction from God. And, it has been so since the beginning when Adam was told specifically what God expected from him. He was told what he could do, what was allowed and what not to do and what was not allowed. In Genesis 4:7, Cain, was told by God that he would be held personally responsible for what he did.
And, what did they do when confronted by God? They ” blame shifted”! Adam blamed Eve, Cain tried to short-circuit responsibility. Remember Pilate at the time of the crucifixion? He tried to literally wipe his guilt off to others by “washing his hands.” The attempts to cop out from our responsibility is hollow!
We each have the personal responsibility to ” repent and believe the Good News”, Mark 1:15. And, then “glorify the Lord with good works,” Ephesians 2:10. 1st John 5:12 tells us, “Whoever has the Son has life, whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” The Apostle Paul admonishes that those who choose to reject the truth of God, ” are without excuse” Romans 1:20
In considering all this, I realize we cannot just shirk our personal responsibility to carry out our faith in God! Personally, I don’t want the consequences of doing just that!
ritasalomon 