Blame it on the...

Greetings,

This week's bible lesson surrounds the letter B. I chose the word blame. People have been blaming others for their actions since people got their start. Let's take a look-see.

Genesis 3: 8-13

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”  10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

So yea, we have this dude who has been given everything he could ever want. He's got this slamming garden, a cool job, a dutiful wife, and God who loves him beyond imagination. All he had to do is stay away from one tree.  God tells dude, "This is your world. Do what you like. Just don't touch this one tree." One rule, one stipulation, one little guideline---and what happens...

No one knows why dude took that bite but today's story isn't in the bite. Disobedience is in a couple of weeks. The teachable moment isn't in the punishment. Blessings and curses deserve their own section. The meat and potatoes of today's lesson is in what happens when your actions, good or bad, catch up with you.

First of all, sometimes, ignorance really is bliss. Think about it. As a baby, adults feed you until you learn to feed yourself. Adults carry you until you learn to carry yourself. Although knowledge is great power, great responsibility comes with it. Therefore, no one can make you do anything.

Life is ultimately about choices. I often wonder why God gave us free will. We have it and yet we still won't take the responsibilty for it. From the beginning...

God: Where y'all at?

Dude and Dudette: We heard You coming so we got ghost, being naked and all.

God (with that all-knowing look): Who told you that you were naked? What y'all been eating?

Dude and Dudette: See what had happened was...

Dude: It was her, Lord. This woman You gave me.

Dudette: Oh no, he didn't, Lord. It was that serpent. He tricked me.

They all look at the serpent.

Serpent (shrugs shoulders): What?

And the rest, as they say, is history. Still there is something to be said about this short passage. If nothing else, it serves as a reminder that life is filled with defining moments; those before-and-after episodes when the instant it happens you know your life is forever seperated into before it happened and after it happened.

In an instant, dude knew just how wrong he was and when God called him out, without hesitation, dude knew he had to blame someone. (I can't believe he tried to throw God into the debacle but desperate times call for desperate measures.) Even dudette copped a plea. The serpent was the realest deal (aside from God) in this whole outfit. The serpent accepted its responsibility, took its punishment, and slithered on about its way.

It's time we stop blaming others for our actions and choices. Assume responsibility for all of your deeds because you do them. No one can do that for you. Accept your role for your predicament in life. Stop saying your daddy didn't love you enough. Stop saying your mama didn't hug you enough. Stop putting it on your home environment. Stop complaining you didn't get the quality education. Stop it!

The heart of the matter is this: God gives us EVERYTHING we need to get the job done that He has set before us. Now, whether or not you let Him catch you with your work undone is on you.

Until next week,

Step Brown