Taking Responsibility Who’s To Blame

Accepting responsibility for our behaviour is difficult for most of us even in recovery.  It seems that when we have sustained past hurts, we have tended to use the pain suffered to excuse our bad behaviour.  Because of the injustices that life brought our way, we expected our loved ones and others to tolerate our anger and mood swings.   Often by the time we become adults, the victim role was well established.  Unfortunately, we are often comfortable continuing in the same manner until we are challenged by emotional upheaval or a deteriorating lifestyle.  Peace and freedom will only be found when we take responsibility for the choices we have made and deal with the consequences that have resulted.

God says to each one of us, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NLT) 

In the Bible we read about King David who, after committing the sins of adultery and murder, took responsibility for his actions and said to the prophet Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”  Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you.”  (2 Samuel 12:13 NLT)  

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, I repent of my unwillingness to forgive. Today I choose to forgive those who have harmed me and accept that You are the righteous judge of all things, and I am not. Please come and heal me in the depths of my being and restore me to new life.  Amen

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