In an old movie comedy, a bumbling but brilliant programmer is chosen for the first manned mission to Mars. Constantly making foolish mistakes, the programmer has a habit of blurting out, “It wasn’t me!” When the crew lands on Mars, the programmer slips from the top of the ladder and falls to the planet’s surface—just before his partner sets foot on it. The first words spoken on Mars are, “It wasn’t me!”

It’s a farcical story, but that programmer’s phrase is hauntingly realistic. Whenever there’s blame to go around, our response can sound a lot like, “It wasn’t me!”

God desires our obedience. But He also knows we’re prone to disobey Him. In Leviticus 26:1-13, God outlined His plan for Israel. If they obeyed His commands, He said, “I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers” (v. 9). But habitual disobedience would bring curses and afflictions designed to bring the people to repentance. Then God said that if disobedient Israel would “confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors” (v. 40), He would remember His covenant with them.

The key to restoring relationship with God is our admission of what we’ve done wrong. Blaming others keeps us trapped in the guilt cycle, powerless to vindicate ourselves.

Feeling far from God? A good place to start is by saying, “It was me.”