“At some point we might blame ourselves for the way life has ended up. We think, If I had just done this differently, I wouldn’t be in this mess. Sometimes we blame others for the heartaches we feel, and other times we blame God. Many days the blame is scattered among all three.”- Meredith McDaniel
“As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD, and they said to Moses, ‘Why did you bring us here to die in the wilderness?”- Exodus 14:10-11 (NLT)
As Meredith McDaniel continues her Prologue to In Want + Plenty, she notes our insatiable appetite for consuming content. Hence, our minds spin and we compare ourselves to others. In addition, the author observes, “we invariably forget who we are and what we were made for.”
Furthermore, Meredith states, we tend to carry a false script in our minds. That script whispers lies that life goes our way when we work hard enough. Yet, the ache remains. We realize we lack control. So, life looks quite different from the high hopes with which we began our journey.
Therefore, we often blame ourselves, others, or God. However, harboring a mind-set that blames others usually leads to a very bad outcome. Thus, we either feel like a failure or that the world has failed us. Consequently, Meredith asserts, when all our efforts leave us wanting, we:
- tend to feel depressed and anxious
- begin to unravel
- become paralyzed
- disconnect from others and isolate
- fail to reach out for community support or reveal how we feel
Finally, Meredith stresses, we need to affirm that our Creator intentionally handcrafted every gift and quirk of our beings. Also, we must find calm in the chaos of every season, living free and confidently as God’s children. Because God’s unmerited mercy pours out every day in our lives!
Today’s question: What Bible verses counter blaming ourselves for our mess? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Unraveling souls – pattern of fear, anxiety”
