The Blame Game

At work, I have a pet peeve with the little kids. Well, I'll admit, I have several, but I'll deal with just one today. And like most pet peeves, I find myself guilty of it as well, so don't feel bad if you find you do it too. I'm quite sure you have at least once. Even the best five-year-olds in our class are guilty of this sometimes. Allow me to demonstrate through a story... Johny and Bobby (fake names) play together on the school playground. Both boys know throwing rocks is against the rules. Regardless, Bobby says to Johny, "You wanna throw a couple rocks at the girls to get them to chase us?"
Johny says, "Ok."
Bobby picks up the first rock and chucks it at Sally but misses. She doesn't notice.
"Ok, it's your turn," Bobby says.
Johny then mimics Bobby's behavior but the small stone strikes Sally's leg.
Sally cries and tells on Johny.
When the teacher confronts Johny, he's full of excuses: "But Bobby did it too." "He told me to do it!"
Sound slightly familiar?
Let me take you to a luscious, perfect garden where a cowarding man says, "It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it," and a hiding woman declares, "The serpent deceived me. That's why I ate it." 
What would have happened if Adam and Eve had just said, "I did it, and I'm sorry?" Maybe nothing, but still! 
This sin is second nature to mankind. Often my first instinct is to come up with a reason or a justification for my behavior. Being an only child, I didn't have much of an oportunity to blame others. What was I going to say? Mom did it? I did have my moments though. Like when my cousins came up for the weekend once a month. I could blame my misbehavior on them. Granted, my cousins usually did share in the mischief, but that's not the point. The message here is that I still should have taken responsibility.
Responsibility for our own actions is avoided across the globe. Oh, the earth is dirty? My littering habits have nothing to do with it! Oh, the child's mine? You seduced me! I shouldn't have to pay child support. Your foot aches? You made me mad. I had the right to stomp on it!
Galatians 6:5 states, "For we are each responsible for our own conduct." When our judgement day comes, we won't be able to whine and say, "But, God, so-and-so did it too!" or "The devil made me do it."
I know Jesus took my penalty, but the idea of being accountable for all I do is humbling (and a little terrifying). You know the saying...when we point at others, three fingers point back at us. We all make our own choices. In fact, that's exactly what I tell a child playing the blame game: You made a choice. You're responsible for that choice.


P.S. Next week, I will not have internet access and/or time to write a blog as I'll be helping a pre-teen camp. Please keep me in your prayers. I'm looking forward to writing what God gives me in two weeks.