It’s never our fault. 

From a young age we’re trained to pass the blame onto others – no matter how big the mistakes.

The natural instinct is to find someone else who can take the fault for our fumbles. From pointing fingers in grade school to passing the buck onto a coworker, the blame game is ingrained in us.

How many times have we looked like Tommy Boy, trying to fix things up and then asking others, “What’d you do?!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3xWOriHqwU

(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)

The blame game is nothing new. People have been pawning off the fault of their mistakes since the Garden of Eden – the home of the very first mistake.

A lot of people blame Eve for the original sin. But look deeper at the story of Adam and Eve’s temptation found in Genesis 3:

“Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”

“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

Both Adam and Eve sinned. When we blame Eve, we’re just agreeing with Adam since he points the finger at her first.

Eve follows suit, putting the blame for her action onto the serpent.

I would bet the snake sputtered out his own excuse to God as well.

I think the real sin in the Garden of Eden was that no one owned up to their actions. 

So who’s really to blame? Everyone.

Read on and you’ll find the serpent, the woman, and the man all facing a consequence for their actions. Each pays the price for the very first round of the blame game. As do we today.

But the story of Adam and Eve is not simply the story of original sin. It’s also the story of original grace.

Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live. And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. (Genesis 3:20-21)

God does not bring the hammer on us for our sinful ways. Instead he brings a sewing kit to take away our naked shame. 

You don’t have to be Tommy Boy anymore. You don’t have to constantly be thinking about how you’re going to pass the blame onto someone else.

You don’t have to be Adam and Eve hiding in shame and pointing the finger.

Own up to who you are. Take off the filthy rags of sin and put on the clean new clothes of grace God has personally knit together for you.

It’s time to give up the blame game. It’s time to stop living in fear of getting caught. It’s time to kick the Tommy Boy mentality.

Do you find yourself playing the blame game? What would your life look like if you gave it up and focused instead on God’s grace?