There is a human tendency to accept personal blame for suffering. People often would rather feel guilty than helpless.
~~~~~~~~Elaine Pagels
We have some dear friends. They routinely have two dogs; little guys, pampered. A few years ago, they came home from church one Sunday to find that one of the little dogs could not stand. Turns out she'd had a stroke. Vet put her on some meds that improved her condition, but in a few weeks, our friends had to give up the fight and let the little dog go. The dog was 17 1/2 years old, but to this day, the wife insists that the dog had the stroke because it had once fallen running on the kitchen floor. Never mind that the fall was 5-6 years earlier, and the dog showed no ill effects from it. The wife wanted to be blamed.
In his book How Good Do We Have to Be?, Harold Kushner describes this blame thing as an illusion that some people create: that they can control events if they just do everything right. We can make people love us, we can prevent our aging parents from dying, we can keep our dog from having a stroke....If only I had...
I think he's restating the Serenity Prayer, "accept the things I cannot change." If we're just intent on being blamed for something, then be patient; an opportunity to accept real blame will show up soon enough. Knock yourself out. But a better choice might be to wander over to 2 Corinthians 5:21, and realize that when we immerse ourselves in self-condemnation, we do so at the expense of diminishing the forgiveness and salvation we're promised.
Today I'll pray that we take joy in accepting responsibility, but find even greater joy in trusting God's promises.
Blessings and peace my friends.
NT
Dedicated to Allen Jones, who finished the Serenity Prayer by gaining the wisdom to know the difference between the things he could change and the things he could not.
~~~~~~~~Elaine Pagels
We have some dear friends. They routinely have two dogs; little guys, pampered. A few years ago, they came home from church one Sunday to find that one of the little dogs could not stand. Turns out she'd had a stroke. Vet put her on some meds that improved her condition, but in a few weeks, our friends had to give up the fight and let the little dog go. The dog was 17 1/2 years old, but to this day, the wife insists that the dog had the stroke because it had once fallen running on the kitchen floor. Never mind that the fall was 5-6 years earlier, and the dog showed no ill effects from it. The wife wanted to be blamed.
In his book How Good Do We Have to Be?, Harold Kushner describes this blame thing as an illusion that some people create: that they can control events if they just do everything right. We can make people love us, we can prevent our aging parents from dying, we can keep our dog from having a stroke....If only I had...
I think he's restating the Serenity Prayer, "accept the things I cannot change." If we're just intent on being blamed for something, then be patient; an opportunity to accept real blame will show up soon enough. Knock yourself out. But a better choice might be to wander over to 2 Corinthians 5:21, and realize that when we immerse ourselves in self-condemnation, we do so at the expense of diminishing the forgiveness and salvation we're promised.
Today I'll pray that we take joy in accepting responsibility, but find even greater joy in trusting God's promises.
Blessings and peace my friends.
NT
Dedicated to Allen Jones, who finished the Serenity Prayer by gaining the wisdom to know the difference between the things he could change and the things he could not.
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