A Moment With Pastor Fred

Disclaimer: This pastor’s pen is not intended to be political. Last month Kamala Harris, Senator from California ended her campaign to be the Democratic presidential candidate. She said that the country just wasn’t ready for a black woman president. I find that interesting since Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016 and Barak Obama won two elections prior.  

But what troubles me about her comment was – it was my fault. It was America’s mistake for not supporting her. It wasn’t that she never connected or that her message or persona just didn’t click. In other words, the blame wasn’t hers – it was ours.    

As I said at the top – this isn’t a political jab. It is a jab (and a loving one at that) at you and me. How often we are guilty of the same. It wasn’t my fault I lost my cool with Sue. If she hadn’t done such-in-such I wouldn’t have been unkind. You just don’t understand. The disagreement I had with you wasn’t my fault – you misunderstood me. We are blame-shifters. We have been since the beginning when our great-great grandfather said to God, “It was the woman you gave me.” And this is true in all areas of life – marriage, work, with the children (grandchildren), parents, school, friends, etc. We deny responsibility for our actions and blame our sinful behavior on others. I’m not insinuating there are never contributing factors, but the Bible puts responsibility where it belongs – with us. No one “made” us do anything. We chose. So let us stop blaming others, humble ourselves, admit when we’re wrong, ask forgiveness and thank the Lord for his mercy.