Don’t Blame Others
Psalm 51:1-4 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is, when something goes wrong, to blame someone else? It’s often our first instinct. Our first response when something in our lives goes awry. In fact, in this day and age, it’s almost a rarity to see someone taking responsibility for their own mistakes or shortcomings.
There’s a business best seller called, “Good to Great” by a man called Jim Collins. He and his team undertook a huge research project to determine what factors set apart those companies with sustained stellar performance on the stock exchange, from the also-rans. The run of the mill, every day companies.
On the question of leadership of the successful companies, he writes this:
The leaders of the truly great companies look out the window to attribute success to factors other than themselves. When things go poorly however, they look in the mirror and blame themselves, taking full responsibility. The comparison CEOs often did just the opposite – they looked in the mirror to take credit for success, but out the window to assign blame for disappointing results.
Hmm. When things don’t go the way they should, what do you do? Do you blame someone else, or do you own the problem with all your heart – taking responsibility to the extent that some or all of it was as a result of your failings or limitations?
Think of the last time something went wrong. Be honest with yourself. What did you do?
People blame their past, their parents, their upbringing, their spouse, those people out there. In fact some people, be honest, have become exemplars of living out the blame game. And the problem with that is, then, in your eyes, your life is completely out of your control. It’s everyone else’s fault, never your own.
Who or what do you blame, when things go wrong? And how different would that be if, like the truly great leaders, you instead took ownership of the situation. Because, listen to me, when we take ownership, all of a sudden God has something to work with. When we take ownership, God steps in in such incredible power.
King David is, arguably, the greatest King that Israel ever head. The greatest leader, until Jesus came along a thousand or so years later. Here’s the conclusion he comes to:
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. (Psalm 51:1-4)
That’s why he was a great leader. That’s why God got right behind him.
And that’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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