As soon as I heard his words,
my mind left the room
and entered the moment of regret.
I wondered what I could have done,
should have done.
While Blame was accusing,
not just pointing out my fault
but rubbing it in,
Widsom interrupted
and pointed out a few facts.
Suddenly I realized
I could put my hand right through Blame.
It was a ghost.
I began to notice how often Blame visits
and how it gets in:
when something’s wrong,
when someone’s disappointed,
any kind of suffering.
This ghost gets shooed
from house to house–
sometimes unconsciously,
other times with intention,
a scowl and a wagging finger.
I’ve tracked these ghostly visits for a while now
and learned a few things.
Blame has no substance.
It seeks a place to inhabit
to make us feel better
about what we can’t change.
It isn’t You.
Not one little bit of it
comes from You.
You forgive
everyone in the story
and help us live with
what is.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is freedom.
–2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV)
An Everyday Pilgrim 