Projection... a sin for all of us!

Gratitude Journal
1. Quiet days that turn into very productive days!
2. Progress, even small steps, toward a goal...
3. Braves baseball - even when they don't win I enjoy watching
4. Laugh radio - on XM Radio
5. Beth's hamburgers

"God said, 'Who told you you were naked. Did you eat from that tree I told you not to eat from?' And the man said, 'The woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree..." Genesis 3:11-12

As far back as Genesis humans have been 'projecting' onto others responsibility for their own sinful decisions. In this verse Adam points his finger toward Eve to explain why he failed. He sounds like so many of us today who try to escape our own wrong-doing by accusing others for getting us into the mess we ourselves created.

The original word from God after creating mankind was 'it is very, very good'! And here, a short distance from God's declaration, Adam begins to hide from his original identity in God the Father and we have been denying God's beloved status for His created order ever since.

Wonder what it would have been like for Adam to turn to God and say: 'Yep, I failed and made a mistake. God forgive me and set my feet on the straight path once again.'

Why is responsibility and accountability so hard for us to accept? Are we scared that God will not love us? Are we expecting that what we have done is so bad that God would never be able to forgive us?

God had confidence in us! Yet, we go on and on pointing our crooked finger at others and exclaim - 'thank God, I am not as bad a she is... she started it, she made me, she enticed me, etc' Or 'God all of that group is totally bad or totally wrong (blacks, Democrats, Republicans, Jews, city-folks - country-folks, you name your preferred scape-goats). Do we really believe that we are off the hook and really better than some one else?

To make matters even more complicated, when we cannot forgive ourselves for 'our part' it is so easy to hold onto our hurt and anger. I imagine it was easier for Adam to be mad at Eve than to live with his anger and guilt for his own failure!

Next time we feel someone has 'done us wrong' maybe we need to ask, 'wonder what part I played in this situation?' Wonder what it might have been like if Adam had asked that question long ago?

SHALOM
J