If we’re honest we would probably all have to admit we’ve indulged in the blame game at some time, but the public display of it in high places has become epidemic. When was the last time you heard a public figure accept personal responsibility for something gone wrong, or a misjudgment, or just plain wrongdoing, without his or back being against the wall?
There is a better way. There is a healthier environment for us to share. There is a character of life, a reign of influence, the character of which is described in a few sayings at the beginning Matthew 5. They are called the Beatitudes, but the handle may be unfortunate if it evokes Hallmark images of fluffy clouds and flower petals. It really describes a gutsy way of thinking, feeling, and living. But how can being “poor in spirit” be good? It is if I accept that there is Another who is all good and offers to share his power with me. I am blessed or happy if I “mourn” over the state of things around me, and thereby show some genuine concern outside myself. “Meekness” is not weakness but humility that makes room for the other. If I hunger and thirst for righteousness I want what genuinely is right, and now just, or I might think, for me. Mercy, purity of heart, peacemaking, blessing those who are against me: There is no room for blame here, no excuses. A better. I know I need to embrace this daily. And I suspect I am not alone.