Who’s To Blame?

By

Bernard Knefley

Who’s to blame? Is that a question you’ve ever asked? Have you asked it as a parent, or as a leader? Have you asked it when someone has blown it, or failed in some way? Have we asked it when someone has perpetuated an act of violence against others? Have we asked it when tragedy strikes, or a disaster takes place? If it hasn’t been asked, it’s probably been thought. Why do we look for answers in this way. Do we need someone or something to blame? Did you know that victims need someone to blame. After all, how else will you make sense of any situation? Certainly there must be some reason.

When Adam and Eve sinned, who did God blame? After all they were created by God himself, so was his creation flawed in some way? Was there something in the garden that causes this calamity? Was it the serpent or was it Lucifer who presented himself in the form of a snake? If God created all, then the serpent and Lucifer were created so God must have made a mistake, or did He?  

Perhaps the one thing that we all forget is that we are all created with free will. Free will gives us the ability to choose between good and evil. We can’t blame it on the devil, parents, society, or anything else without first looking at personal responsibility. Sadly, many don’t as it’s often easier to blame someone or something else. We also need to remember that with every choice comes a consequence. There was a consequence to Adam and Eve’s sin as was there one for the serpent. The Bible is full of stories of people who made choices and then experienced the consequence of those choices. It’s easy to point the finger at others, but what about our own choices? Perhaps there is a corporate responsibility that hasn’t been addressed.

Perhaps the most important personal lesson that I learned it life was that although it might not have been my fault that I was knocked down, it was my fault if I didn’t get back up. Think about it.