Crunch

Yesterday I had an idiotic tragedy. I was pulling out of the parking lot on campus after my 8 am class when I ran into the back of another car. I heard the crunch and I thought, "Please Lord! let that not be a car or a person!" It was a car. No damage would have been done if it were not for my trailer hitch. There was quite a nice dent in the back of that man's newer looking accord. Lots of people saw it and most of them were staring at me as if they wanted to see what I would do and for a moment I thought, most people (or at least some people) would get in their car and drive away, leaving the people to front the bill. As I was writing the person a note with my info, the owner walked up. I was worried, but he was so nice. He asked where I was from and said, its just a car. I was so grateful for his kindness.
Now I am not saying I am the exception to this idea that people flee from owning up. I had that moment of fight or flight too. Why is it that we avoid owning up to our mistakes? We do not want to take responsibility for our stupidity, unintentional harm or planned rebellion. We are okay with getting what we want and having someone front the bill for it. We do not take responsibility for our actions (unless of course they had a positive result and those we readily take credit for) I have a student at my work who I catch doing things all the time and she has never once owned up to anything. She looks me in the face every time and lies about it. Now I am not one to spiritualize everything, but how true is that in our spiritual lives? We took what we wanted, we forsook all God gave us and Christ paid the bill in our place. Even after we believe in Christ and what he did for us, we still go after the things that we want under the banner of grace, "Christ has already paid for it."
If we so readily turn and run from the consequences of our mistakes, knowing someone else will have to take the deficit, when will we ever be able to follow the example of Christ and sacrificially "take someone else's place?" When will be willing to help someone else our of their mistakes? May we be people of integrity, clean inside and out, who readily admit our mistakes and own up to our mess.