It’s Not My Fault!

I was teaching a class of high school seniors recently. A young man sitting near the back of the class was chatting with some other students in the area. It seemed every other word coming out of his mouth was a cuss word. One of the young ladies sitting close to him told him I was looking at him and he turned and looked at me and said, “I can’t help it. It’s not my fault. If you were raised by my parents you would cuss all the time too.”

I thought about what he said for a while and I thought about how that “It’s not my fault” idea has perpetrated the fabric of our society. I can remember back when the actor, Flip Wilson, often said, “The devil made me do it!” Once again, I recognize how that lying philosophy has entrapped the thinking of many in America.

I also recognize the lie and deceit found in that idea. The devil or one’s parents or one’s environment or one’s whatever does not make that individual act one way or do a particular thing. It really is the fault of the individual as each of us is given choices to make. We are each responsible and will one day be held accountable for the choices we have made as well as the path we choose to follow in this life.

Consider the temptation of Jesus for a moment. The Scripture tells us: “Then Jesus returned from the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, He was hungry. The Devil said to Him…” (Luke 4:1ff HCSB). The devil could not force Jesus to do anything. He could make suggestions. He could toss out ideas and possible “other” paths to follow, but he could not nor can he now make us do anything.

We like the blame game because we think it takes the responsibility off of our backs; but, it really doesn’t! Ultimately, the responsibility for the choices you make is in your hands and on your head. Blaming others for who you have become is destructive behavior. Maybe, you recognize you have issues and problems because of your past upbringing but you also have an ability to put a stop to it now; even going so far as refusing to impose that same idea into your kids as you have had placed upon you.

Accept responsibility for who you are! Quit blaming others and start turning your own life in the right direction. It’s not my fault! is a destructive lie. Quit living by it and start living by the truth.