You might be getting tired of the news. I know that Debbie is! Her level of tolerance for talking heads and dispute is much lower than mine. Regardless, I have been watching a lot of news on TV, as well as reading articles from various sources, that seek to establish who is responsible for either the good or bad as government tries to deal with the pandemic.
What I have seen is that almost everyone wants credit for the good, and almost no one wants to take responsibility for the bad! The blame game is always being played in politics, and few in that realm want to let a good pandemic go to waste.
I have heard people blame the wet markets in Wuhan, the containment lab in Wuhan, the Communist Party (government) in China, the various European governments, governmental conspiracies, President Trump, the pandemic experts we see on the television at every national briefing, the various state governors, local judges and mayors, college students on spring break, the Chinese new year, Christians who are worshiping God, and a father playing catch with his daughter in a park.
Most of those who are being blamed are trumpeting their own abilities and actions in the face of the pandemic. What is going right is because of their doing, and what is going wrong is the fault of someone in the authority structure either above them or below them. The idea of personal accountability seems to be sadly lacking.
But, don’t think that this is any different than it has ever been. Remember the words of Adam in the garden, when God confronted him with his sin: “Then the man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate'” (Genesis 3:12). Adam sought to blame the woman (and God) for his sin. It didn’t work then, and it doesn’t work now.
There are a couple of principles to follow when considering the matters of praise or blame. First, think of what God told Israel, “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself” (Ezekiel 18:20). Israel contended that this was not fair! Consider God’s response, “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not my way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?” (18:25).
What is not fair is blaming someone else for your own actions and consequences. If you did it, own it! Whether it is a simple mistake, or something that constitutes sin before God, it is a mature and responsible thing to admit blame about whatever failings are yours. This is the action of one with integrity.
But, what what about taking credit for the good things? Well, this is not a particularly acceptable thing either. Despite what the politicians like to do. Remember the Pharisee who prayed to God? “The Pharisee stood and prayed with himself, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess'” (Luke 18:11-12). In contrast, that tax collector simply prayed, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (18:13). Jesus said, “I tell you, this man [the tax collector] went down to his house justified rather than the other [Pharisee]; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (18:14).
Contrast our politicians actions with the words of Paul, perhaps the most successful evangelist in the history of the Lord’s church. “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:5-6).
So, buck the trend and do it the Lord’s way. Whenever you make a mistake, accept your responsibility and own up to your error. When good things happen, first give God glory, and then seek to praise others rather than seeking glory for yourself. It may not make you particularly popular among men, but God will be pleased by your integrity and your embrace of His will in all things.
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