Mea Culpa
We all know them. They are the ones who set out to take advantage of others and do harm rather than good.
See, the Lord's hand is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue mutters wickedness. No one brings suit justly, no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, conceiving mischief and begetting iniquity. They hatch adders' eggs, and weave the spider's web; whoever eats their eggs dies, and the crushed egg hatches out a viper. Their webs cannot serve as clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they rush to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths. Their roads they have made crooked; no one who walks in them knows peace. Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us; we wait for light, and lo! there is darkness; and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope like the blind along a wall, groping like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among the vigorous as though we were dead. We all growl like bears; like doves we moan mournfully. We wait for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions before you are many, and our sins testify against us. Our transgressions indeed are with us, and we know our iniquities: transgressing, and denying the Lord, and turning away from following our God, talking oppression and revolt, conceiving lying words and uttering them from the heart. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands at a distance; for truth stumbles in the public square, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and whoever turns from evil is despoiled. The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. - Isaiah 59:1-15a
How much of what happens to us is our fault?
What it boils down to is this. We only have two choices. Either it is our fault, or it is someone else's fault.
Those who feel everything happens to them, through no fault of their own, are victims. They are miserable.
Yet those who feel everything that happens is their own doing can be just as miserable. Woe is me.
The happy place must be somewhere in the middle, a place where finding fault is not the objective at all.
Isaiah spoke about turning our back on God, and how that could be what is messing up our lives. Now I am certain a life with God is going to be much better than one without God, and I know from experience living in the Spirit works wonders, so maybe there is something to be said for giving God a chance.
Not that God will come down on us if we don't choose to follow the path, that isn't really the issue here.
The point is life can and will be better if we don't blame ourselves too much, don't put the blame on others, and don't see everything that happens a judgment from God.
Sorry, Isaiah. I just think God is more loving and graceful than you make God out to be.
Maybe we can start each day with a clean slate and see what the day brings, rather than look in the mirror at past faults.
More to come...