Accepting Responsibility

Accepting Responsibility

We are each responsible for our own conduct.

Galatians 6:5

WHY ARE WE SO QUICK to blame our loved one when things aren’t going well in our relationship? Unfortunately, it’s human nature, going all the way back to Adam and Eve. (See Genesis 3 for some blatant blame-shifting between the two of them.) But Galatians 6:5 reminds us that each of us is responsible for our own choices and behavior, and that includes our part in a relationship.

May I suggest a better approach? Try the following steps:

1. I realize that my marriage is not what it should be.
2. I stop blaming my mate and ask God to show me where I am at fault.
3. I confess my sin and accept God’s forgiveness, according to 1 John 1:9.
4. I ask God to fill me with his Spirit and give me the power to make constructive changes in my life.
5. I go to my mate, confess my failures, and ask forgiveness.
6. In God’s power, I go on to change my behavior, words, and attitudes, according to the principles that I discover in Scripture.

This is God’s plan, and it works. Blaming your spouse stimulates resentment and antagonism. Admitting your own failures and letting God change your behavior creates a new and positive climate in your marriage. It is the road to a growing marriage.

Father, you know how easily I slip into blaming my spouse for the things that are wrong in our relationship. Please forgive me. Help me instead to take full responsibility for my own wrongs. Show me clearly where I have failed, and help me to change. I know I can do it only in your power.

Responsibility