The Second Sin
When we encounter an unexpected and unwanted situation in life and the responsibility falls on us, we have a tendency to point fingers and try to throw off the blame to someone else.
In this week's high school chapel, we had the opportunity to hear Mrs. Lee's sermon about the second sin: blaming.
She started off with a story that we're all familiar with: Adam and Eve choosing to eat the apple from the forbidden tree. She drew us a scenario that we would easily understand: say that someone came up to you and gave you a zillion of dollars to spend, and specifically instructed you to not touch their one dollar... and you took their one dollar.
Mrs. Lee also gave us a story from her life to illustrate the message better by talking about her sister, Jen, and the problem (that managed to ruin just about everything in her life) that she had clutched onto for so long: putting the blame on everyone but herself. She would blame the things in her life onto her parents, her teachers, her professors, her ex-husband, and then eventually, God. It was only after Mrs. Lee sat her down and told her that the problem lies within her and that it HAS to be fixed that Jen finally accepted the truth.
We can all empathize with Jen. When things don't go our way, we're quick to point fingers at other people that were involved in the situation as well. We don't evaluate the problem within us, but only the shallow surface of the problem that we could easily see.
The moral of the story (sermon) is this: take responsibility for your own actions.
The only way to stop having the same problems over and over is by facing yourself and admitting that you are wrong. Take a step back and look at the core of the problem - not at the environment, but the part that you have played in your mistake. Evaluate the problems that you may have created, instead of immediately blaming it to the closest thing you see. Seek help from God, and He'll help you.
By doing so, you'll learn and grow from your mistakes, and you'll never make the same unnecessary mistake again.