The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
- Genesis 3:12

This is THE textbook example for how to throw someone under the bus. In one sentence, the man (Adam) manages to blame both God and the woman (Eve) for his foolish actions.

Everything Adam said was true. God did place Eve there with him. God knew that it wouldn’t be good for the man to be alone. And Eve did give Adam some fruit from the tree, the fruit they were forbidden to eat.

Adam blames God and Eve for his foolish action. But he’s not the last person to ever do this. When our foolish actions are brought to light, we’re always faced with the temptation to blame those actions on someone else: “My boss didn’t keep her commitment. My parents didn’t pay enough attention to me. My spouse provoked me.”

We are no strangers to blame. But here’s what you need to know about it:

• Blame always has a basis in truth, but also always ignores the full truth
• Blame seeks to avoid or minimize responsibility
• Blame breaks relationships.

Listen to yourself talk today. Where do you find yourself playing the blame game? What’s motivating you to blame others for your decisions?