Pointing Fingers
He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Genesis 3:10-12
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 1 John 1:8-10
Insight
As much as I loved the holidays, I'm glad Christmas break is over because our two girls were "loving" the extended sister time a little bit too much. For the most part, they enjoy each other's company, but like all of us, they crave their own space. A few days in, they began to bicker, compete in an eye roll and UGH! contest, throw some clothes and slam a few doors.
When I (or, more often than not, my wife) played mediator and referee, we heard two drastically different stories of what transpired. But, what was present in each transcript was defensiveness and justification. "She did this..." 'I wouldn't have yelled if she...." "She started it..." "Mom...you don't understand..."
The finger-pointing tactic is nothing new for my girls or anyone else for that matter. Attempting to skirt responsibility began in the Garden of Eden. Adam not only blamed Eve for the fall but tried to paint God as the culprit because He was the one who made Eve his partner. In Adam's eyes, everyone else was at fault, except for himself.
We react to our mistakes, struggles, and failings in the same way. Our default posture is defensiveness. We're experts at playing the blame game and negotiating with God to plead our case.
We attempt to justify our sin forgetting that God has already justified us. He accomplished this not by making what we did wrong right but by punishing it on the cross. Our defensiveness can dissipate in light of the Gospel. We can now own where we've fallen short because Jesus covered that gap in His grace.
Confession paves the way to freedom and serves as a response to what Jesus made right. Our admission isn't to get God to forgive us. Instead, our confession is to align our hearts with what He has already done. This allows us to come into His presence not just concede our point but actually embrace His ways. When we confess, we lay down the burden of hiding, blaming, and pretending.
Reflection
Where does defensiveness exist in your heart?
In what situations are you trying to justify your attitude, actions, and behavior?
Prayer
God, help me own where I've looked to lesser things for fulfillment, pursued my agenda above everything else, or caused pain to others through my words and actions. Rather than justify my response or my shortcomings, may I be courageous enough to confess them to You. Let me not hide but step into the freedom that only comes through Your forgiveness. In Your name Jesus. Amen.