Blaming
John 9:2
Illustration
by Jon L. Joyce

"Who sinned, this man or his parents?" the disciples asked. And Jesus replied, "Neither." But the disciples wanted to place blame on someone for this man’s blindness. Why do so many people follow this practice? Often they hurt one another as they seek to find someone at whom they can point the finger of accusation. After all, none of us is blameless. Scriptures tell us "all have sinned." It is sometimes a case of self-righteousness when we try to lay blame on someone. By doing so we disrupt human relations. Even nations have been artful in this practice, going to war on the basis of first laying blame on the enemy. Colleges blame high schools for the defects of their students; high schools blame the grade schools, while grade schools blame the parents and homes. Rather than follow such a practice we need to look at ourselves, asking what God will find when he probes into our life. Also, it is time to stop passing the buck and to get at the work of making necessary improvements. Helping, not blaming, must be the order of the day.

CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, His Hands, by Jon L. Joyce