How often does it happen that when we find ourselves in a difficult situation we look for something or someone to blame? Sometimes bad things happen – sometimes through no fault of our own – and yet it lands squarely in our laps to deal with. In those situations, I have often said to myself and others “It’s not your fault, but it is your responsibility.”

It’s never fun cleaning up our own mess, but cleaning up the messes of others, well that’s a whole new level of frustration. It could be something as simple as picking up the litter in your front yard or something more difficult like working to correct unhealthy generational behaviors that have trickled down through our families. In either example as well as all the many other possibilities I haven’t mentioned, Pastor Randy Draughon of Midtown Fellowship Nashville often says, “When we refuse to deal with our baggage we force others to deal with it.”

Human nature will more quickly look for someone or something to blame rather than to simply choose to deal with the issue at hand; and blame is another area where we have such a tendency to get our focus out of phase.

Blame attempts to excuse us from the responsibility of picking up the proverbial litter in our front yard. And to continue with this analogy, in the end blame draws the eye away from the beautiful landscaping and fixes our focus on those ugly things we refuse to deal with. After all, we didn’t throw the garbage out the window. Why should we have to clean it up?! We can blame the slob who deposited it in our yard, the city workers for not picking it up, or simply ignore it because “it wasn’t our fault.” However, when we seek to justify, excuse, or blame we rob ourselves of so much beauty, peace, and ultimately make our lives so much less welcoming to those around us.

I have erred so many times here. I have gotten so hung up on principle saying things like “this isn’t how it’s supposed to be.” But as I look back I realized that ultimately I only fueled my own frustrations while robbing myself of so much joy, energy, and edifying conversations.

Ultimately, this is the very reason Jesus came—to take the blame, to own the offense of the world’s cumulative sin so that we could live in freedom. To be willing to deal, not only with our own mess, but also with the messes others have forced upon us, is exactly how we model Jesus and get to experience the joy and freedom He has called us to.