Taking Responsibility

Today's Thought - Taking Responsibility

It is an almost comical scene; God told Adam that he and Eve could eat everything in the Garden of Eden except for the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When they ignored what God told them (like any kid might do), God accused them, and Adam threw Eve under the bus. "It wasn't me!" he might have said (I hear it in George Thorogood's voice); "She gave it to me!" The Apostle Paul wasn't buying it. In his very long essay in the Letter to the Romans, Paul doesn't even mention Eve (although he does in 2 Corinthians). For Paul, Adam was responsible. Isn't it funny how the church, through history, still continues to blame Eve? Well, not so funny, I guess.

Then poor Peter, faced with an opportunity to die with Jesus, was confronted in the courtyard and denied even knowing Jesus; not once - not twice - but three times! The once bold disciple who proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ is shamed by his cowardice. He wasn't alone; all the rest of the guys (but not the women - curious, isn't it?) took off and either hid or hightailed it out of town. It isn't always easy to take responsibility for our actions. That's partly why we confess every week in church; it seems that God needs for us to be honest without ourselves and each other about what we have done wrong. God expects us to learn from our sins/mistakes/missteps and improve.

President Harry S. Truman famously had a sign on his desk that said, "The Buck Stops Here". In the other side, the one he could see, it said "I'm from Missouri" (just a fun fact). And while the first phrase didn't originate with Truman, he made it clear that he understood what his job was; he was responsible, right or wrong, for the decisions he made. It is a lesson we are supposed to learn when we are young, kind of like the myth about George Washington admitting to chopping down the cherry tree. The farther we go in life, the more responsibilities we take on, and the more necessary it is for as to stand by our decisions. This is why important decisions should never be done rashly or taken lightly; everything we do ripples out beyond ourselves and affects others.?

It isn't always easy to admit that we did something wrong, or that our best intentions did not achieve what we had hoped for. Too many people; politicians, clergy, CEO's (among others) are unwilling to be honest and take responsibility for their actions. They throw people under the bus; they waffle; they dissemble. For some, there is an honest change of heart and mind, and I applaud them for this. It isn't easy to admit we are wrong; we don't generally hold opinions that we absolutely know are not true. For those who truly change their minds, good for them. For the rest? Grow up and take responsibility; there's a lot riding on your decisions. What each one of us does really matters; to us, our neighbors, and God. Do the right thing.?

Prayer - God, we admit to the mistakes we have made and pray for forgiveness. Give us the opportunity to make things right. Amen.

Today's art is a cartoon by Christopher Weyant.