And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. – Luke 15:21

After demanding his fair share from his father, the prodigal son squandered all that was given to him. He was living in abject poverty (Luke 15:16) and his situation was not getting any better until he got to the point where he realized that he had to take responsibility for his actions, (Luke 5:17). He said, “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee”, (Luke 15:18). When you sin against somebody, you have actually sinned against God and the person and that’s what the prodigal son realized.

The prodigal son was only able to move on to a better future after admitting he was in the wrong. It is in our nature to blame people for our woes and misfortunes. We do not like to take responsibilities for our actions. And like the prodigal son, we will continue to be on the wrong side of life until we take responsibility. The blame game is as old as Adam. Adam blamed Eve for breaking the law. Eve also blamed the serpent and it has been the default response for humankind. But the blame game does not help. The prodigal son could have continued to blame his friends and the harlots he wasted his money on, but he came to himself and accepted the fact that it was his actions that led to his current predicament.

I want you to look back on this year and the past years(s) and see where you might have gone wrong and still continue to blame somebody for it. My brother, my sister, it is time to stop the blame game. You can only move on to a better future by admitting your sins and faults and confessing them genuinely to the person you offended and God. Leave regrets behind you and truly repent for your actions. Be like the repented prodigal son who came to himself and went straight to his father and asked forgiveness from him and God.

Start afresh this Christmas. Merry Christmas to you!