Today is Blame Someone Else Day.

Do we really need a day devoted to blaming someone else? People have been blaming others since the very beginning of time. Remember Adam and Eve? When God confronted Adam in the garden and asked him if he had eaten fruit from the tree God had forbidden, what did Adam do? He blamed Eve. Then Eve blamed the serpent (check it out in Genesis 3:1-13). And the blame game continued on long after that. How about Aaron’s response when Moses asked why he had helped the people make a golden calf to worship? Here’s Aaron’s story: “They said to me, ‘Make us some gods to lead us, for something has happened to this man Moses, who led us out of Egypt.’ So I told them, ‘Bring me your gold earrings.’ When they brought them to me, I threw them into the fire—and out came this calf” (Exodus 32:23, 24).

Have you ever blamed someone? For example, if you did poorly on a test, would you say, “I couldn’t study because my brother’s music was playing too loud,” or “I didn’t study enough”?

Maybe a better approach to “Blame Someone Else Day” is to step up and take responsibility for our actions. In fact, the Bible makes it very clear that we will be judged according to our own words and actions—not those of someone else. Jesus said, “The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37).

For we are each responsible for our own conduct (Galatians 6:5).

To Do

When was the last time you blamed someone else for something you did? Write that person a note or tell him that you take responsibility for what you did. Then see what kind of response you get.

Also on this day . . .

1845—Anthony Faas of Philadelphia patented the accordion.

1928—Ernst F. W. Alexanderson gave the first public demonstration of television.

1930—The first Mickey Mouse comic strip was published.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.