The blame game

Show proper respect to everyone (1 Peter 2:17).

You’ve seen it happen. A teacher has problems with a difficult student; maybe the youth won’t apply himself, maybe he is unruly. So the teacher tries to correct the problem; a low grade for poor work or detention for disrupting the class. But then the parents of the child come down to school enraged, demanding to speak with the principal or superintendent. How dare that teacher treat their child this way? And if they are intimidating enough, the school administration caves in and the teacher is the one who gets punished, not the student.

This kind of thinking is everywhere in our society. When there is a problem, it is the professional who gets blamed. If a police officer has to shoot to apprehend a criminal, it is the officer who is suspended pending an investigation of his actions. When a member of the clergy tries to push youth to work hard in preparation for confirmation, parents line up with their kids, accusing the church of having expectations that are too high.

Whose side are you on? Ever since Watergate, Americans have been quick to assume the worst about anyone in authority. But an important Biblical principle has been forgotten—that God tells us to respect people in authority instead of opposing them. The Fourth Commandment tells us to honor our parents. When you spend time looking through Scripture, you’ll see that God also commands that respect be shown to those older than us, to those who teach us, and to government officials. In fact, the only time we are permitted to disregard the words of such people is if they tell us to do something that opposes God’s will.

The oldest game in the world is the blame game—it started in the Garden of Eden when Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. We all sin constantly, and we don’t want to accept responsibility because we don’t want to be punished. So a kid will blame his brother for making the mess; and when he gets old enough, that same kid will blame the teacher for his own failure to perform well in the classroom. But before any parent automatically jumps to their child’s defense, remember how God wants us to respect not only parents, but teachers and other people in authority as well. Don’t let love for your children get you caught up in playing their blame games.