The Blame Game

August 5, 2015

My thoughts lately rest on blame and forgiveness.  There is plenty of each to go around, I’ve found, in portions unequal.  

We blame, I think, because we feel the need for justice and we tend to believe that there is always more fault in everyone who isn’t us.  It’s a marvel, those who see themselves as flawless in this great mess of humanity.  How prideful is it to believe you are without fault?  Or to believe that the faults of another are always worse than your own?  

We forgive, I think, because we believe in the power of grace and mercy.  We are called by our God to do so.  It is no small feat, but it is our command.

To these two opposed actions are the nuggets here printed.  The words of others can sometimes provide a kick in the ass even our closest advisors may not.  In the midst of struggle, it is easy for our nearest and dearest to seek revenge or punish on our behalf.  Their vision is often clouded by the pain they see in us.  We are best served by helping them see clearly.

But I don't blame you anymore, that's too much pain to store...it left me half dead...inside my head. And boy looking back I see I'm not the girl I used to be. When I lost my mind, it saved my life.

MoZella

You can get past a mistake, but it's much harder to get past being a cruel person.

Jennifer Brown, Thousand Words

A victim is someone who blames it all on someone else. Why give all the power to someone else and leave yourself powerless?

Christina Moss

Some people's blameless lives are to blame for a good deal.

Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy Night 

If you must speak ill of another, do not speak it, write it in the sand near the water's edge.
Napoleon Hill

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

Mahatma Gandhi, All Men are Brothers: Autobiographical Reflections

To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.

C.S. Lewis

I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.

Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner