Don’t Get Mad… Get Hungry

Okay, so it doesn’t rhyme. But I think it’s fitting advice for believers at this particular juncture in history.

I have seen a number of blog posts, email chains, websites, and the like, that are expressing anger against President Obama. The ones that have specifically come to my attention have been written by Christians. On one hand, I understand where this is coming from. After all, the reasons I chose not to vote for our current president are the same reasons most people are mad at him right now. It’s good to be passionate about important issues and to take a firm stand for what is right. But on the other hand, I can’t help but feeling that our anger is not actually furthering righteousness. At all.

Blame: The Game Where Everyone Loses

The Blame Game

People have been blaming each other for as long as there has been something worth blaming someone else for. Clear back in the Garden of Eden, we see the first man and woman, coming off of the first sin, already explaining why their sin was not entirely their fault. Adam blamed his sin on his wife and on the God who put her on earth with him. Eve blamed her sin on the serpent. Both were seeking to justify their actions based on the actions of others around them.

Neither excuse held any water before the Lord.

Their claims even had some merit on a surface level. Would Adam have eaten the fruit if Eve didn’t do it first? Would Eve had even considered trying it had the serpent not come along?

Maybe, and maybe not. We don’t know for sure. But God did not look at the logical chain and go, “Oh, so it’s all the serpent’s fault then.” He dealt with Adam and Eve individually for the real choice they each had to make before taking a bite. The serpent could not “make” Eve try the fruit. She chose to do so. Eve could not “make” Adam partake with her. He chose to do so. Each were responsible for their own sin.

Most of us are pretty familiar with this concept. But I’ve been considering this lately as it pertains to two pretty touchy areas: body image and lust.