(ThyBlackMan.com) My grandmother used to say humans are the most unaccountable creatures on the planet Earth. I often felt that this was harsh, and such a mean indictment of individuals. However, I sat in church one Sunday morning and I listened to the testimony. So many things were brought on by God, and a main theme was that we are accepting hardship as God’s will until he sees fit to deliver from said challenge. Our health was out of order, and it was God’s fault. Relationships run amok, and it’s God’s fault. When our children are ill behaved and facing trouble, it’s God’s fault. Having issues with our job is God’s fault. When we face various types of adversity it’s God’s fault. The irony of it is, while we’re saying we will give thanks to God for everything, and we will honor God in all things, and we know that God is bigger than any challenge we would face… we still managed to blame him for everything. I understand my grandmother’s logic now. Many of us bring our challenges, trials, and tribulations into the House of God and lay them at the altar because we want God to fix the mess. We don’t want to be educated on how to fix the mess. We don’t really wanna hear from God about how to prevent the mess. The only thing that we want God to do is to fix it, and if we feel he doesn’t fix it immediately, then it be the Lord’s will that we stay in the state that we’re in.
Even if we are in a church that takes the time to actually teach us the Word of God and explain the concepts of dominion to us and our part in our life choices and decisions, some of us, even in an educated mind will refer to the idea that whatever is happening to us, God willed it and it’s his fault. Basically, if He didn’t want us to go through it, He would have never put us in that position or He would have delivered us from it ASAP. This is one of the most dangerous things that we could accept and choose to believe. It is false in many ways. As I sit back and even contemplate my own life choices and health challenges, I see my hands all over. That is what it means to be accountable. It is being able to own the parts of an issue that you helped create. However, too many of us can’t seem to do that. It is the one truth that we can’t seem to tell. So, it’s God’s fault.
Here’s the bottom line. Many of the challenges we face we had a hand in making, knowingly or unknowingly. When we go to bed about the matter, can we try to be honest? Example, some of us that are overweight, that don’t have a health issue that is causing weight gain, are not overweight because it’s God’s fault, or because God willed it. Some of us are overweight because we have bad eating habits, are inconsistent, and we will not exercise. Does that mean that our faith won’t carry us? Of course it can. But we have to be willing to do the work. You know that Scripture faith without works is dead. When we blame God for everything, it’s the work we’re avoiding. If we want to have better health or avoid certain medical problems later down the line, we have to take better care of ourselves, take better care of our body.
Sometimes taking accountability means cutting people off. Sometimes it means accepting that you’re not always the best person, you’re not always the kindest person. Does that make you evil? No. But does that mean you need to make changes? Yes. If we’re honest, every failed relationship isn’t because someone harmed us, cheated on us, or was toxic. Sometimes we’re the toxic person. We are the people who committed harm and hurt others. Can we tell the truth about it before God? Some of us are single because we won’t go out there and meet people. We think God is supposed to drop our husband on our doorstep. Some of us have unrealistic expectations of a mate, and though we don’t wanna be judged by the past that others have experienced, we judge others by the past that we have experienced.
So, there are men being judged by the behaviors of others, women being judged by the behaviors of others and not on their own merit as individuals. Yet we look up to God and say, well, Lord, you’re the reason that I’m single. You won’t send me my husband; you won’t send me my wife and you’re allowing me to be alone; the truth is we don’t want to be accountable for the part we play in being alone. We forget those passages in the Bible where God talks about not withholding any good thing from us. Some of us say that whatever God has for you, no one can interrupt. Whatever God has for you is for you, and nothing can stop that train. That’s not true. We can stop our own blessings. We can hinder our own progress, and when that happens, it’s not God’s fault.
You deserve to live your best life. We deserve to live healthy without sickness. If possible, we deserve to have healthy friend circles and people in our lives that will uplift us and support us. If having a mate and a companion is something you desire, you deserve that happiness. We must also work for that happiness. We can’t just look at ourselves and say I’m a good person. I have a good heart. I have good intentions. Knowing that, we often do things that are against those very statements and in complete objection to them. God will allow us to have people in our lives that will be able to minister to us in these areas. Are we willing to hear them? He will minister instruction. Are we willing to follow it? When we are not, it is not God’s fault. So many of us will say God will not leave nor forsake us, and that nothing is too hard for God. Those things are true, but the one thing God cannot do is bend your will. He can’t make you follow him. He can’t force you to obey him. He can’t even make you love him. So that means you have an active part to play in your deliverance, your salvation, and in your happiness and your peace.
God is with you but everything will not be his fault. He can only move on your behalf to the degree that you are going to allow him to do so and allowing him to do so does involve accountability. I finally understand what my grandmother was speaking of, and personally, I am choosing to get out of my way. I understand that some of the things that I want to see in my life are not present because I didn’t show up for myself. Not because God didn’t show up for me. To be honest with you, I think he’s been waiting for me to show up. He might be waiting for you too.
Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James
May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.