Sometimes, the conversations you overhear while your children are playing are really interesting.
Such was the case not long ago when Ellie and Lindsey were playing with their Littlest Pet Shop toys. They had the entire playroom floor covered with their setup and were happily bringing the characters to life. It sounded pretty normal until one of the animals apparently did something wrong. The ensuing conversation, wherein my daughters tried to figure out which animal was the culprit, caught my attention. It went something like this:
Ellie: “Maybe it was a cheetah.”
Lindsey: “But the cheetah was over here. He didn’t do it.”
Ellie: “Well maybe whoever did it used cheetah spray to make it smell like cheetahs so everybody would think it was the cheetah.”
I had to smile. Sounded like a pretty good explanation to me.
What’s not quite so good is when you and I, as adults, do something similar. Maybe we don’t use cheetah spray, but we have all kinds of other creative ways to try to avoid responsibility for our actions.
“If you hadn’t done A, I wouldn’t have done B.” “I can’t help it. I was raised that way.” “It wasn’t my fault. It was (fill in any name here)’s fault.”
Does any of these sound familiar? Perhaps you’ve used these excuses at one time or another. Perhaps you have different favorites. Whatever reasons you and I give for avoiding responsibility, they are all false. If we did or said something, it was because we chose to. Period. Instead of trying to get out of the responsibility, or make excuses for our actions, we would do better to try to get at the root cause of whatever made us want to do the thing we did.
Solomon, the author of the book of Proverbs, tells us that everything in life comes from what is in our heart. Jesus Himself said the same thing, telling us that everything we say comes from the overflow of our heart. If we do or say something, or fail to act or speak, we are only revealing what we’re like inside. That’s why we usually want to cover it up. We don’t want people to know we’re really like that.
But there is Someone who knows exactly what we’re like. The Bible also tells us that “no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” We can’t fool Him by trying to find reasons we’re not really at fault. He knows we did something wrong and have no one to blame but ourselves.
Adam and Eve would know how we feel. When they were caught doing wrong, they tried to blame anyone but themselves. Eve blamed the serpent. Adam blamed both Eve and God. But God knew better. He also knew Adam and Eve were stuck with no way out of their guilt unless He did something. So He did the same thing for them He did for us: He made a way out.
The way out is Jesus. He died on the cross for us. His death was necessary because we can’t help ourselves out of our self-made predicament, and God requires payment for sin. Our sins were laid on Jesus, and He paid the penalty. He, of all people, knows what it’s like to be blamed for something that’s really not your fault. But He accepted the blame and paid the price. Why, so we could continue to live with filthy, sinful hearts and cast all the responsibility elsewhere? No. So our hearts could be made clean.
In order to accept His gift, we first have to recognize what is in our hearts—total, utter depravity. Many of us have done this and asked Jesus to cleanse us and be our Lord. But despite the fact our hearts have been made new, we still have a propensity to sin. And when we do so, we need to ask God to help us examine our hearts and root out the sin, not just blame it on somebody or something else.
Jesus didn’t die so we could receive a “get out of hell free” card and then spend the rest of our lives ignoring, minimizing, or explaining away our sin. He died so our hearts could be cleansed.
I know it’s painful to admit that there is something nasty, sinful, or repulsive in my heart that made me think, speak, or act a certain way. You probably don’t like admitting the state of your heart either. But I want to die to sin, not sweep it under the rug. I want to live to Christ, not live for my own ego. I bet you feel the same way.
Maybe there’s something in your life right now that you’ve been excusing away. Instead of continuing to do so, accept the blame and ask God to help you discover what is in your heart that needs to be done away with. For abundant life isn’t found in being perfect, but in having a clean heart that’s in right relationship with Jesus. For that, you need His help. Fortunately, He’s ready and willing to give it. All you have to do is ask. Why not ask right now?
Romans 6:11—So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Matthew 12:34—“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Hebrews 4:13—And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.