Being accountable for yourself, your thoughts, and your actions is a very important part of being a contributing member in God’s kingdom. But sometimes we use others as an excuse for not being accountable for ourselves and our own circumstances. For example, we might blame our group of friends for pressuring us into drinking more than we intended on a night out. Or we might blame our unhappiness on the fact that we’re staying in a relationship because we didn’t want the other person to be broken-hearted by a breakup, or because they seem to need us so much. We can focus so much on other people and taking responsibility for their lives that we never take time to look for solutions to rise above our own situation. But eventually, all the regrets and hard times become our identity. We don’t just complain; we become chronic complainers. Sometimes people use their complaints as excuses, made-up versions of the truth to hide the fact that they’ve decided to blame everyone else for their circumstances. That way, they don’t have to make a stand and take responsibility for their lives. The fact is, we all make choices in life; to go or stay, to confront or ignore, to complain or look for a solution. And we need to take responsibility for those choices. The Bible says, ‘Pay careful attention to your own work…then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct’ (vv. 4-5 NLT).
