“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses” said George Washington Carver. The word “excuse” literally means a defense or explanation for some failure, it’s often the projected reason why somebody could not do something. But more often than not, an excuse is not the genuine or real reason for the failure; it is usually a cover up or an easy explanation for a failure. Failure is an inevitable part of human life, there is no person who has never failed in life. We all fail many times in many areas of life, but the most important thing is how we respond to failures in life. While some people have the courage to face the facts and take the responsibility for their failures, others often take shelter in excuses that temporarily spare them from the shame or blame for failure.
Benjamin Franklin once said “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Making an excuse is a natural talent to fallen human beings, since the days of Adam man has been perfecting this art of excusing ones behavior and pointing the blame on others. The Bible is filled with people who gave good excuses for doing things contrary to God’s expectations or command. Adam tried to defend his innocence by pointing finger at Eve, and Eve tried the same thing by blaming the serpent. Moses gave good excuses as to why he should not return to Egypt, Gideon had a good excuse why he could not be a mighty warrior, and Jonah had a good excuse why he did not want to go to Nineveh. There has never been a time in human history when man did not have a good excuse for not doing what God wanted him to do. There is no shortage of excuses, in fact if you are looking for an excuse you will always find many, but the problem is that excuses will ultimately make you a slave to your own compromised life.
There has never been a time in human history when man did not have a good excuse for not doing what God wanted him to do. There is no shortage of excuses, in fact if you are looking for an excuse you will always find many, but the problem is that excuses will ultimately make you a slave to your own compromised life.
Here are some excuses some employees used for skipping work, some are genuine, some are creative and some or simply lame. I cannot go to work today because: there is a death in the family, I had food poisoning last night, I have migraines, I have a doctor’s appointment, my pet is sick, I have a flat tire, I’m locked in my own closet, I shot myself cleaning my gun, I had to go to the hospital for coffee burns on my lap, the city is paving my street and I can’t get out, I got the end of a Q-tip stuck in my ear, the garage door broke and I cannot get the car out, the baby sitter didn’t show up today, my alarm clock did not ring today, the dog ate my car keys therefore we are getting a hitchhike to the vet, constipation has made me a walking time bomb, I have used all my sick days I am calling in dead.
A person who makes a habit of giving excuses will never accomplish anything in life because it is so easy to find a lame excuse for not performing or taking responsibility for excellence. Every time we give an excuse we are depriving ourselves of a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow.
At first glance excuses don’t look very harmful; in fact it is so much a part of our life that we all are used to giving and hearing excuses from people. But excuses could really cripple our lives if we are not careful or honest to ourselves. Steven Grayhm writes “Excuses are the tools with which persons with no purpose in view build for themselves great monuments of nothing.” Excuses hinder our progress in life and keep us from accomplishing our true potential. A person who makes a habit of giving excuses will never accomplish anything in life because it is so easy to find an excuse for not performing or taking responsibility for excellence. Every time we give an excuse we are depriving ourselves of a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow. That is why Eric Hoffer once said “For many people, an excuse is better than an achievement because an achievement, no matter how great, leaves you having to prove yourself again in the future; but an excuse can last for life.”
In Luke 14: 16 – 24 Jesus taught a parable combating three excuse makers (please read the passage). All of them were invited to a free banquet which was set up for them, but each of them made an excuse for not being able to attend the banquet. Though this is an ancient parable it has great relevance to our lives today. The first man used his possessions as an excuse, many of us today are so busy either pursuing or protecting our possessions that we don’t have time for God’s work or God’s will in our lives. We are busy building, buying, remodeling, cleaning, upgrading or selling our property (cars, houses, computers, toys, cell phones…etc). The second man used his business (career, school, job) as an excuse for not attending the banquet. It is not a bad thing to work hard to be on the cutting edge of your career, but if you are using that as an excuse for not serving God, then you are missing eternal blessings for temporary profits.
The third guy used relationships and family as an excuse, I guess many of us are guilty of this excuse. It is important that we take our family responsibilities seriously, but we have to guard against an unhealthy obsession with our family and friends. Jesus said “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you…(Matt 6:33).” God knows our needs and our responsibilities, yet he commands us to seek his kingdom first, the problem with these three people is that they thought there will come a time when they will not be busy with possessions, career or family, but that is never going to happen. If we cannot learn to seek the Lord and serve God where ever we are today, it is unlikely that we will ever serve him in the future. It is my prayer that God will give us the courage to be brutally honest with ourselves so that we don’t use excuses in our spiritual journey. Alexander Pope once said “An excuse is worse than a lie, for an excuse is a lie, guarded.” When we make the habit of giving excuses we are crippling ourselves from genuine growth, progress and maturity.
God knows our needs and our responsibilities, yet he commands us to seek his kingdom first, the problem with these three people is that they thought there will come a time when they will not be busy with possessions, career or family, but that is never going to happen.
– – Author: Rev. Francis Burgula – –
