Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Who? Me?

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve could eat the fruit from any tree they liked—except one. But Eve disobeyed God’s command and ate the forbidden fruit. Adam also ate it. When God confronted them, Adam blamed both God and the woman for his own sin. (“It was the woman that you gave me who brought me the fruit.”) Eve had her own excuse, and she blamed the serpent. (“He tricked me.”)

You might find yourself making excuses for your problems too. Maybe you’re naturally shy, and your goal is to blend in and not be noticed. However, you’re very lonely this way. “Everyone’s so unfriendly,” you tell her mom. “They stare right past me!” Only after an honest discussion about your behavior at school can you see your part in the problem. You admit that you don’t look at or talk to people. You avoid groups and disappear by herself. Finally you decide to take responsibility and change. After a few weeks of forcing yourself to talk to your classmates, things changed. Your unfriendly classmates magically transform into fun friends!

The game of “poor me” and “it’s your fault” got started in the Garden of Eden. To this day, people blame their problems on others. They blame their parents, their teachers, and the world in order to shift the responsibility. Some people prefer to believe that something else is controlling the outcome of their lives. However, we must stop blaming others and study our own behavior instead. Take personal responsibility for change. Then you can turn around and head in the direction of God’s good plan for your life.

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