“Assume Responsibility & Don’t Throw People Under the Bus”
Genesis 3:11-13 & Deuteronomy 3:23-26
“Assume Responsibility & Don’t Throw People Under the Bus”
Soul Food
“And He (God) said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?’ The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’”
- Genesis 3:11-13
“At that time I pleaded with the Lord: “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.” But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the Lord said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter.”
– Deuteronomy 3:23-26
Soul Search
"As you think about not taking responsibility for something and shifting the blame to someone else, does an incident or experience come to mind from either the recent or distant past?
Can you talk about it?""Can you think through why you didn’t take responsibility?
Did you fear the punishment or consequences? "Would you have been embarrassed or made to feel stupid if people knew what you did?
What is wrong with blaming others and ‘throwing them under the bus?’
Do you think it’s wrong to blame-shift – why or why not?
"Are there lessons that can be learned from stories of blame-shifting and on a positive note, assuming proper responsibility?
What might they be?"
Soul Moves
"If you have an experience from your past where you shifted blame, didn’t accept the responsibility for something that was rightly yours to take, and someone else absorbed the consequences, is it possible that you need to ‘come clean’ and confess your actions?
Consider that confession and accept responsibility for your actions – even if it’s months or even years after the fact. "
"Accepting responsibility for your actions doesn’t necessarily mean you have to confess to people from a long time ago. Sometimes that can open old wounds that might be better left alone.
However, it is important that you start by accepting responsibility before God by confessing to Him in prayer what you’ve done and asking for His forgiveness through Jesus. After you’ve gotten it right with God then He will let you know if you need to confess to the people who were involved in your blame-shifting."
