Some people find it difficult to see our own mistakes.
Instead of taking them on and facing the circumstances, we can even blame others to avoid shouldering our own responsibility.
This phenomenon is as old as the times themselves, and it is not impossible to improve from it.
Today, I’d like to share with you a bible story about this topic.
In order for us to see what we can do to take on our own mistakes and stop blaming others.
This is the story of King Saul.
Our story unfolds when Saul first confronted the Philistines.
The Israelites had miraculously won the battle and the Philistines had fled.
Saul was determined to destroy them and expel them from Israelite territory that same day.
For this reason, he took the oath that if someone from Israel came to eat something before the day was over, that person would be cursed.
This decision, coupled with other wrong decisions Saul had made in that battle, was not pleasing to God and not beneficial to the people.
His army was exhausted and hungry, they needed to eat and rest.
But Saul did not allow it, instead, they continued to pursue the Philistines.
No one dared to eat anything.
However, Jonathan the son of Saul, who did not know of his father’s oath, tasted some honey and improved his condition.
The history continues to develop until night falls and people have already eaten.
Saul is determined to continue the pursuit of his enemies during the night, but in all that battle he had not consulted God’s will once.
The priests told him to consult God’s will before doing so, and Saul agreed, but God did not answer him.
This is where the point of history that I’d like to share today comes from, read it with me:
“(…) Saul called the chiefs of the people and asked them, “Tell me who has sinned today, and what his wickedness has been; for I swear by the Lord, the savior of his people Israel, that the guilty will die, even if the culprit is my son Jonathan.”
1 Samuel 14:38-39
The reason God had not answered Saul’s request was his behavior.
Saul must have understood and seen his own mistakes, but he didn’t.
Sadly, on the contrary, he was willing to look to others for blame.
He himself, through his actions and his preference, had indicated to God in various ways that his will was not paramount to what he, as king, wanted to achieve.
He himself had provoked God’s silence, but he had become too proud to see it.
His heart had turned away from God, and this prevented him from seeing things from the right perspective.
He was mowed down by his own judgment and could not comprehend the obvious.
That the problem was him, that he was the one wrong.
Not the others.
Dear reader, people often go through the same circumstances in our lives.
Like Saul, we turn our hearts away from God, we stop giving Him the first place in our lives and in our decisions.
What this generates is that we cannot consider our own actions objectively.
That we have a concept of ourselves that does not fit properly to reality.
All this ends up having an impact on us not being able to understand our mistakes and limitations, but being ruthless judges of others.
We see mistakes and blame in everyone but us.
The most effective way I’ve found to own my mistakes and stop blaming others is to keep God at the center of my life and my decisions.
So everything is kept in proper perspective.
You can do it too.
If you allow him, God will lead you down a path of growth and profit in which you can understand yourself, with all your virtues, strengths, flaws, and weaknesses.
A path in which He will help you to improve your character and to be aware of who you really are.
This will make you live a fuller life and look at others with the right perspective.
Don’t miss every opportunity to draw closer to God and stay close to Him.
Because that’s the real success in human life.
I hope these words have been a blessing to your life.
And what do you think? Do you have a hard time coming to terms with your mistakes? Do you blame others? Share it in the comments.
A hug, God bless you.
