When You Are Blamed Unjustly

“Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.” John 15:20 (NLT)

by Alexandra Copeland

When someone accuses you falsely or places blame on you unjustly, it can cause you to experience a gamut of emotions that will surprise you. I recall an incident where I had to make a major decision that would impact someone’s future based on a piece of information that a colleague had given me. When speaking with the colleague about my final decision, she looked me square in the face and denied ever having spoken to me about the matter. She said I was mistaken and that I quite possibly had caused someone a tremendous detriment by not having the facts; the same facts that she, herself, had given me. Up until that point, I knew her to be a well-respected person, and had no reason to doubt that she would do such a thing.

I had not made a mistake in this particular situation, and I have since learned that the information I was given was true, but I believe this woman was perhaps in denial about having divulged it. Nonetheless, she chose to blame me rather than admitting the truth. It was beyond frustrating for me, and I was stunned as I heard the words come out of her mouth. I remember it like it was yesterday, and it still baffles me.

Anyone who faces situations like these may find it difficult to handle, particularly when there doesn’t appear to be anyone that can vouch for you. Even as Christians, we will sometimes want vindication so badly, and we want those who have wronged us to be punished, but that isn’t the way of Christ. Our blessed Lord and Savior was well aware that we would find ourselves very disappointed by people and situations in life. In John 15:20 (NLT), he told the disciples, “Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.” Jesus wanted them to know that people are capable of awesomely good things, but they are also capable of terribly bad things, and we must guard our hearts accordingly.

 

Don’t Respond Negatively
Since we’ve received fair warning in God’s Word, we can brace for impact. When we’re young in the Word and spiritually immature, we might react very impulsively to being blamed for something we didn’t do, but God expects more from us as we are more seasoned in the faith. There have been occasions when I knew resolutely that I was correct about something, but apologized for possibly being in error in some way. I did this because I realized that the other person was not yet in a place in their walk in the Lord where they would admit their wrong doing.

I was not made worse for apologizing, and did so with the faith that God in His perfect timing would set things right. When we have this kind of faith and trust in Heavenly Father, we’re never quick to overreact or respond negatively. No matter what is going on, a situation is always made worse when we act without a cool head and Godly temperament.

 

Place Your Trust in God
All of us value our relationships, and we place a great deal of trust in our loved ones, but we must settle our minds with the fact that people will sometimes let us down. And sometimes when we’ve been stung by being accused of something unjustly, we put our guards up to such a degree that we do not allow any love in; and therefore, do not allow any love out. God didn’t intend us to operate this way. My great grandmother would tell us that we should never put all our eggs in another person’s basket. It took me a long time to understand what she meant. Another person’s basket is not going to secure our eggs any more than our own basket. So the best solution is to always deposit those treasures for safe keeping with God.

Heavenly Father warns us in Psalms 146:3 that we must be careful of where we place our trust, and the best place for it is with Him! This is not to say that we shouldn’t trust anyone. It is to remind us that being disappointed by the actions of others comes with the territory of being human, and the best way to deal with it is to simply trust that God will ultimately cause things to work out for our good.

 

Continue Instantly in Prayer
Prayer is always the first line of defense for any and every situation of life. Philippians 4:6 (NLT) tells us, “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Again, being blamed unjustly can cause emotions that can really do a number on you, especially when you’re standing alone. You might find yourself going over and over the situation in your head, because you simply can’t come to terms with how things have turned out. It’s a very troubling thing, and only God can give you the peace that you need as you begin to pray about the situation.

Philippians 4:7(NLT) tells us that God’s peace passes all understanding, and it will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. There isn’t anything more comforting than this, and it is where we need to concentrate our efforts any time we find ourselves faced with being caught up in the blame game. God will never abandon us, and Romans 10:11 declares that "Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame." So while we may endure a period of discomfort, we can rest assured that in due time God will untangle the web of blame and get us out of it beautifully.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.