Why are we always pointing fingers?

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Pointing fingers - police car

Welcome to “Athlos” a weekly blog which examines pillars of personal excellence and regularly brings together the worlds of Christian spirituality and sport.

Her fault

“…Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat? The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me-she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.”-Genesis 3:11-12

His fault

Finger-pointing is probably as natural is eating. It comes with being human. From the days of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, we have been blaming others. When you read Genesis 3 in full, you will see the chain reaction. Adam blames Eve. Eve blames the serpent. Interestingly, Holy Scripture is silent on whether the serpent looked to blame someone else.

A closer look at Adam’s deflection suggests that he was accusing both God and Eve. Notice his words: “The woman you put here with me-she gave me some fruit.” In other words, it was not his fault. First, it was God who put the woman with him. Second, it was the woman who gave him the fruit. Poor, innocent Adam.

Do you see yourself anywhere in this scene? If I’m honest, I can be like Adam when my defences are up. Point at my wife. Tag it on the children. Anything to save face at that moment. It is for this reason that I commend National Basketball Association (NBA) star, Ja Morant, for owning up to his recent indiscretions of posting on social media a video with him holding what appears to be a gun.

These were his words after the event, as reported by ESPN: “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire organization for letting you down.” He accepted full responsibility for his actions and is aware that he will not escape the consequences. Yet, he offered a mature response to his missteps. No sugar-coating. No finger-pointing.

To err is human. To blame others is tempting. To own up is noble.

My fault

It takes humility to confront and acknowledge our mistakes. That is good news because the humble receive divine grace.

If you were inspired by this blog, please consider sharing it with one other person today. To learn more about these and other related themes that promote the cultivation of an integrated inner self, read UNBEATABLE! which is available on Amazon in print and as an e-book

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. Colin

    The intense and consistent desire to preserve my image at all costs often prompts the finger-pointing.

  2. Michelle Marcus

    Thank you. It is so much easier to blame others and take myself out of things so I am not seen in a bad light and I have the justifications to support such.

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