Passing The Buck
For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight. – Psalm 51:3-4.
At a bookstore recently I was browsing through some books and noticed the author’s acknowledgements, which was somewhat unusual. He said he wrote the book alone and no one had helped him. However, he stated if mistakes were made he wanted to keep with the long-standing American tradition of passing the buck. He then listed many people who apparently had helped and encouraged him in writing the book. Then he says any errors are completely the fault of these people and not his fault.
It does appear to be a part of the American culture to always try to pass the buck. If someone loses their temper they may say something like, “I’m sorry I did that but it’s because I’m under so much pressure”…or “it’s because I’ve been so tired”…or “they were getting on my nerves.” We are always looking for a way to avoid responsibility and pass the buck on to something or someone else. King David gives us an example of how we ought to respond when we sin. When King David was confronted with his sins of adultery and murder he did accept responsibility. He did not try to pass the buck on to someone else. It stopped with him. He did it and he confessed he was wrong.
If we want a new start? If we want to begin anew? If we want to start over? The place to start is with accepting responsibility for our sins and confessing them to our Lord. In Proverbs 28:13 we are told, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”
(Passing the buck will not work with God because He knows exactly what we have and have not done, said, or thought.)