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(as presented by Lisa Bishop)
What comes to mind when you think about courage? You have probably heard it said that courage is not the absence of fear but feeling fear and choosing to act. I will be reviewing five acts of courage, and the first act of courage is taking responsibility. Admitting when you are wrong.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where something went awry? A conversation turns into conflict, a misstep turns into a mess, a project at work takes a turn for the worst…. And if you are honest, it was your fault but you didn’t want to take the fall for your poor choices so you placed the blame on someone else?
Eve and Adam did that in the garden of Eden. In Genesis God had given them access to every tree in the garden pleasing in appearance and good for food except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. One tree was off limits when the rest of the garden was free reign. The serpent tempted Eve and at that moment of temptation she started doubting the goodness of God. She eats off the forbidden tree and Adam who was with her follows suit. What happens next is blame. When God calls out to them and questions their actions, we see that Adam’s response is, “The woman you gave to be with me, she gave me some fruit from the tree so I ate.” Then God asks Eve what she has done and she follows along with the game of blame and says, “It was the serpent, he deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:10-13)
The blame game. It started in the garden and has a grip on us to this day. I wonder what would have happened if Eve would have taken responsibility for her actions rather than pinning it on the serpent? If Adam would have owned up to his error, how could that have positively impacted his relationship with Eve, with God? We see blame happening all around us. We are a culture of blame. We lack the guts to admit we are wrong. We more easily point the finger and make it someone else’s fault. Admitting we are wrong takes humility. It takes risk. It takes integrity. It takes courage.
If you want to live a life set apart, admit when you are wrong. Take ownership. Admit how you played a part in a breakdown, miscommunication or mishap.
Is there a situation or relationship that is out of sorts in your life? Maybe your part in the breakdown is obvious. Maybe it’s not. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the part you played. Then be courageous. Have a conversation with the people your choices impacted. Admit your mistake to your co-worker or boss. Take responsibility for your choices and actions that led to a friendship or relationship breakdown.
Choose courage over blame.