Reminder from Jacob: On Who’s to Blame
Not too long ago Jacob came for a visit. He isn’t old enough yet to understand that Grandma is moving to Hanover. He just knows that my house is a mess! When he walked in the door the living room was full of boxes. His first words were, “Oh, no! What a mess!” Then he put his hands on his hips, stomped his foot and said, “What a big, big mess!” He had a lot more to say, but it was coming so fast and so furious that I couldn’t understand it all, and of course I was laughing so hard that I didn’t catch everything he was telling me.
You see, the funniest thing is that Jacob is a huge mess maker! I think he thinks that he is the only one who has the right to make a big mess at Grandma’s house (and everyone knows he is the only one who gets away with it)! So, he was very indignant when he encountered the big, big mess. (And I had to wonder who might have been stomping their foot at his messes!)
Anyway, a few days later while I was making my bed, I was reflecting on Jacob’s indignation and thought about the fact that a lot of people respond to the messes in their lives the same way Jacob did. I have encountered individuals who have, both literally and figuratively, pointed their fingers (or shook their fists) at God and cried something to the effect, “You made a big, big mess!” Or “How could you let this mess happen to me?” Or a thousand other questions or accusations all placing the blame on Creator God…the One who is supposed to be in charge, running the show, protecting us from all disasters!
Jacob didn’t understand the reason for the mess. He couldn’t see the bigger picture. He had no concept of what is taking place in my life right now. He just didn’t get it. All he could see was something that didn’t look quite right. This wasn’t the way grandma’s house was supposed to look, before he got there anyway. He was puzzled, he had questions and he needed someone to blame… and grandma was the most logical person in his little mind! The truth is placing blame is one of those inherent propensities that we humans are born with. Thank you, Adam and thank you, Eve!
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