How Can You Get Mad At Your Own Mess?

My daughters and I headed out the door to jump in the car to leave for the gym. One of my seven year old twins said ” Eww, the car is a mess! ” as she opened to door to get in the backseat to strap in her car seat. I took a peep to see what was all the fuss. It turns out it was actually the mess that she left on a previous trip a day earlier in sneaking cheese crackers, a pack of fruit snacks, and a leftover juice bottle. She said her little sassy comment looking at me as if it was my responsibility to fix her backseat party gone wrong! I reminded her as she sat with her arms folded that in her disobedience she created a mess, and I advised her to take ownership in cleaning up the mess she created. She pouted like, ” Mama you busted me out” in cleaning up after herself in being more careful in her speech. There are times we as adult believers in Christ can act like pouting children who act oblivious of their mistakes in not taking full ownership for our actions creating mess in trails everywhere we go.

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,
    but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Proverbs 28 :13

Who Started It?

I humor myself when my kids point fingers in playing the blame game when it’s obvious that there was more than one party involved when each took part in making a bad decision. They are literally caught red handed , but choose to throw another sibling under the bus. I’ve been a teacher for years now, and I notice that regardless of what grade level I teach when a student gets caught doing something wrong they usually point the finger in blaming someone else. Where did humans learn to be manipulative in placing game, mastering the victim card, and perfecting the art of deflecting? I always go back to the first original sin in the bible with Adam and Eve in the Old Testament in the book of Genesis 3 1-19. Both Adam and Eve were living in a beautiful paradise able to enjoy their lives, eat plentiful, and roam as they pleased. They were permitted however to not eat from the forbidden tree. Eve decided to take the word of a serpent over God to eat fruit from the forbidden tree, and Adam to be disobedient to God by eating the fruit from Eve. God knew what they did wrong, but instead of taking full ownership with accountability they start pointing fingers. Thus they both were punished, banished from the Garden of Eden, and man has been suffering ever since. We learn to take ownership in growing in spiritual maturity by admitting our mistakes, showing true repentance, and submitting to God’s plan for our lives.

Hot Tea/ True Stories

I’ve come to realize that I’ve grown from acknowledging my shortcomings and taking full responsibility for my actions. By doing so, I’ve been able to learn from my mistakes and work diligently to avoid repeating them. I’ve also faced situations where others have caused me harm, but instead of taking ownership of their actions, they’ve chosen to deflect and dismiss their wrongdoing. When my husband left, I took the opportunity to reflect on my own actions and wrote a letter to him, which I later read aloud, taking ownership of my part in the breakdown of our marriage. This wasn’t about clearing my conscience or trying to reconcile, but rather about acknowledging my role and taking responsibility for my actions. I believe that when a marriage fails, both parties must take ownership of their mistakes, seek forgiveness, and use this as a catalyst for growth and healing. While I can say that I was a good wife, I wasn’t perfect, and I’ve taken ownership of my mistakes. I’ve also had to release a friendship that was no longer serving me, as my friend refused to take ownership of her hurtful actions. Similarly, I’ve dealt with a former coworker who tried to sabotage me, but instead of taking responsibility for her actions, she continued to deflect and cause division. Thankfully, I was able to move on from that toxic environment and into a new opportunity. Through these experiences, I’ve learned that taking ownership of our actions and being accountable for our mistakes is essential for growth, healing, and positive change.

A huge step in sincerely growing in maturity spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually is learning to take full ownership. God knows our truths just like he did with Adam and Eve, so we don’t have nothing to hide in repentance of our sins. There is nothing that separates us from Christ’s love, grace, and mercy. We don’t have to wallow in defeat from bad decisions, but we can take full ownership in making the decision to do better. When we have sinned we can still come to God who has loving welcoming arms for us. When we have sinned against a fellow brother or sister we are to come open, honest, and with a real apology. When we make a mess like my seven year old did in the backseat of the car we need to take ownership in cleaning it up!