The man answered his doorbell and admitted a visitor who was followed by a large shaggy dog. As they sat talking, the dog bumped into the coffee table, sending an expensive lamp crashing to the floor. After chewing on the rug for a while the dog began to roam through the house, his progress marked by the sound of falling objects and breaking glass. Finally, the dog jumped up on the sofa with muddy paws and curled up for a nap.
The outraged host could contain himself no longer. He spoke to his guest in a burst of anger, “Don’t you think you should have trained your dog better before bringing him into my house?” The visitor was more than a little perplexed. He exclaimed, “My dog? I thought he was your dog!”
Many people today blame others for the pain and destruction in their lives. It’s called the blame game. While there truly are victims in our society who have been hurt through no fault of their own (like the man in Luke 10 who was helped by the Good Samaritan), how dangerously easy it is to fall into the victimization mindset. Truthfully speaking, in many cases we are not quite sure just where the big shaggy dog came from or how he got in.
Wasting time looking for someone or something to blame is a dead-end street that produces nothing of value. There are no constructive qualities or healing virtues in the blame game. It’s the only game I know of where no one wins; everyone loses.
In the end, who cares where the shaggy dog came from or how it got in! Just get rid of the shaggy dog that doesn’t belong in the house and get on with serving Jesus.
Pastor Todd Weston
The outraged host could contain himself no longer. He spoke to his guest in a burst of anger, “Don’t you think you should have trained your dog better before bringing him into my house?” The visitor was more than a little perplexed. He exclaimed, “My dog? I thought he was your dog!”
Many people today blame others for the pain and destruction in their lives. It’s called the blame game. While there truly are victims in our society who have been hurt through no fault of their own (like the man in Luke 10 who was helped by the Good Samaritan), how dangerously easy it is to fall into the victimization mindset. Truthfully speaking, in many cases we are not quite sure just where the big shaggy dog came from or how he got in.
Wasting time looking for someone or something to blame is a dead-end street that produces nothing of value. There are no constructive qualities or healing virtues in the blame game. It’s the only game I know of where no one wins; everyone loses.
In the end, who cares where the shaggy dog came from or how it got in! Just get rid of the shaggy dog that doesn’t belong in the house and get on with serving Jesus.
Pastor Todd Weston
