Whose fault??

Isaiah 59:1-4

See, the Lord's hand is not too short to save,
   nor his ear too dull to hear.
Rather, your iniquities have been barriers
      between you and your God,
   and your sins have hidden his face from you.
For your hands are defiled with blood
       and your fingers with iniquity;
   your lips have spoken lies,
       your tongue mutters wickedness.
No one brings suit justly,
       no one goes to law honestly;
   they rely on empty pleas,
       the speak lies,
   conceiving mischief and begetting iniquity.

Do you remember Flip Wilson's famous line:  "The Devil made me do it!"  We always want to blame someone else, don't we?  Frankly, I am weary of it.  How much better it would be if we admitted our errors/sins.  Just imagine if honesty was the "go to" position rather than the "fall back" plan.

I have told my share of whoppers in order to cover up what I have done or not done.  Alas, I do not have a poker face so it has rarely worked.  Admitting my mistakes certainly isn't always easy but it usually leads to reconciliation.  It mostly depends on how quickly I admit the fault.  The longer I wait, the angrier the person has time to become and anger seldom fades quickly.

There's a reason Jesus included "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us" in the Lord's Prayer.  We need to ask for the barriers to come down daily.  God does not hide God's self from us but, if we are not willing to admit to the barriers, God won't help us take them down.