It's My Fault

I was a kid when it happened.

Ms. Smith lived across the road from us.  She was an elderly widow.  And she was the first Catholic I ever met.  It is also important to point out that she was a feisty lady with a quick temper.

One day Ms. Smith asked me to ride with her to the cemetery and help her clean up around her late husband's grave.  While maneuvering around the cemetery in her big car, she hit a tombstone.  It made an awful noise.  When it happened, I looked at her just in time to see her angrily yell out, "Well who in the world put that #%@! tombstone right there?!"

She was also the first senior citizen I ever heard cuss too.

I think about that experience and see that she blamed someone else for her dented car.  According to her, it was the fault of whoever set up that tombstone.  No way was she going to blame herself.

She's not the only person to do that.  Most, if not all, of us at some point or another have blamed someone else for our wrongdoings.  Or we blamed our circumstances.

One thing life has taught me is this:  When I do wrong, it is best to man up and admit "It's my fault."

We fail when we don't pay close attention or make wise choices.
We fail when we get selfish and lazy.
We fail when we place our feelings over our principles.

It's our fault when we do wrong.

Why does this matter?

When we know it's our fault, and we accept the consequences, then we can begin to improve.  We can learn from the error of our ways.  We can resolve to do better in the future.

Let's claim personal responsibility for our wrongdoings.  When we do this, God is willing to forgive us.  And He is ready to help us rebuild our lives for a better future.

This may be tough at first to say.  But do it anyway.  "It's my fault."