BLAMESHIFTING DISCOUNTS STRENGTHENING
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
James (GW) 1:20-27 An angry person doesn't do what God
approves of. 21 So get rid of all immoral behavior and all the wicked things
you do. Humbly accept the word that God has placed in you. This word can save
you. 22 Do what God's word says. Don't merely listen to it, or you will fool
yourselves. 23 If someone listens to
God's word but doesn't do what it says, he is like a person who looks at his
face in a mirror, 24 studies his features, goes away, and immediately forgets
what he looks like. 25 However, the person who continues to study God's perfect
teachings that make people free and who remains committed to them will be
blessed. People like that don't merely listen and forget; they actually do what
God's teachings say. 26 If a person thinks that he is religious but can't control
his tongue, he is fooling himself. That person's religion is worthless. 27 Pure,
unstained religion [Rom.12:1-3, observance of worship through living. EBB4],
according to God our Father, is to take care of orphans and widows when they
suffer and to remain uncorrupted by this world.
Blame shifting is
employment of not taking responsibility for our individual exercise of free
will, a “Through no fault of mine.” artificial life. This includes blaming God
for problems while not examining self.
This is but yet
another lesson emphasized by Grandmother McGee that fell on my cute little
ego-centric deaf ears surrounded by curls. I can still hear her sternly asking “If
Jim stuck his head in a furnace, would you?!” . . . which at the time I
considered a stupid question from an old person.
Beginning with
Grandmother’s words, through the years since ears opened and much hair gone
with remainder silver, I’ve added additional beneficial thoughts and questions:
·
When reading or hearing God’s Word think of
personal application about my responsibilities.
·
Ask God’s Holy Spirit to fluorescently alert me
when it is I that am part, most of, or all of a problem. This must include when
absolutely right a smug attitude!
·
Especially listen for thoughts or verbalizing “See
now what you’ve made me do!” (One of my favorite questions in jail was “Do you
think anyone here is capable of making me angry?” while standing before the
meanest most brutish looking man in class. Another question was “Is anyone, including
God, capable of making me love you?”)
·
Does/did blame shifting accomplish or circumvent
goals?
·
When in silent or verbal blame shifting mode, am
I teachable?
·
Emulating the first blame shifter (Gen.:12), is
my simplistic knee-jerk reaction to always blame God or someone else?
·
Consider what blame shifting has cost the first
two shifters.
·
What has blame shifting cost me in my life?
·
If I think God is at fault and I blame Him does
it relieve me of my faulty contributions to this world?
·
Am I learning from wise experienced elders, or
am I skating away from personal maturation?
·
If my life is typified by blaming God and/or
others . . . am I edifying or otherwise?
·
Is my blame shifting better reasoned Avoidance
& Manipulation?
·
And last on my list, but absolutely the most
important, Jesus was contrarian; He took all the blame. (1Pet.2:24)
Now, lest the
above review make for a gloomy day, remember whose day it is (Ps.118:24);
family ours (Jn.1:12); and His loving forgiveness (1John 1:9). EBB4
No comments:
Post a Comment