Psalm 104:10-16  (NRSV)

10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow between the hills,
11 giving drink to every wild animal;
    the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 By the streams[a] the birds of the air have their habitation;
    they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

14 You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,
    and plants for people to use,[b]
to bring forth food from the earth,
15     and wine to gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine,
    and bread to strengthen the human heart.
16 The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

You Cause! This phrase, we hear it a lot. You caused me to do this or that. You caused me to have hurt feelings. You caused me to be angry. We use the phrase in our polite society more than we are able to count is my guess. We wield it like a breast plate of security and righteousness, to shield ourself from the injurgy we preceive being thrown at us, and to stand behind as we throw targeted arrows of blame squarely on who ever we think deserves the judgement and the injury for our own state of being. Expecially in the days of now. You caused me to get sick with COVID. You caused me to loss my job. You caused me….

All this blame is a very big ouch, that should, with a little imagination, time warp us back to a graden. The woman you gave me, she caused me to eat that apple. The snake caused me to do it. (Genesis 3) Yes, the game of blaming has been around for so long and it is so ingranded in us as a humanity that we are absolutely clueless about how much or often we cast the judgment seat upon our neighbors AND each of us is guilty. Plain and simple.

This type of action is destruction and degrading, a tearing down of the fabric of relationships. It has no accountablity. It is energy in the air that has as one purpose -to harm. And every day we stand and participate in that harm, swatting our arms into the air trying to reject the pain and calling out, “You caused this!” And repeat.

But notice from the psalm, that the identity of cause, is not about harm. It is about generation and growth. “You (God) cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for the people to use, to bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart. ” (vs 14-15). What a radical difference in the identity of cause, that through God “to cause” something is to create what is good. To create what is nurturing. To create what is life giving for both the body, mind, strength, and spirit.

How refreshing that this pslam invites us to understand we have an option to this system of blame. That we can speak a different truth. That we can cause what is beautiful instead of what harms.

Prayer of the Day: Dear Lord thank you for the simple reminder that we can change how we use our words to grow and cultivate relationship. You caused so much goodness to be in the world, but our sin rountinely propells us to blame you as the caue of our pain. When we do this, forgive us. Turn us back toward you with your loving spirit and help us to reshape our words and relationships to that which is healing creative and generative. In Jesus name. Amen.