No Exuses

“If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?” (Proverbs 24:12)

Food For Thought… In a past issue of Bits and Pieces Magazine, a list was given of the Ten Most Used Excuses. It went like this:

1. I forgot.
2. No one told me to go ahead.
3. I didn’t think it was that important.
4. I’ll wait until the boss comes back and ask him.
5. I didn’t know you were in a hurry for it.
6. That’s the way we’ve always done it.
7. That’s not in my department.
8. How was I to know this was different?
9. I’m waiting for an O.K.
10. That’s his job–not mine.

The fact is, we’re pretty good at making excuses. Any parent knows that our bent toward shifting responsibility starts out very early on in our children (wonder where they see it modeled?). And we continue it all the way through our school years (The dog ate my homework…but you didn’t tell us the test would be today”) right into our adult lives (“I’m this way because of my parents…I have post-traumatic stress disorder…but officer, I didn’t know the speed limit was 30…).

We come by it pretty naturally, I think. Our propensity to make excuses and shift blame goes all the way back to the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve fell. When God confronted Adam, he blamed Eve, and God, by extension (The woman you gave me, she made me eat it…”), and Eve blamed the devil (The serpent deceived me…”) And from that point on, scape-goating became the national pastime of the human race.

But it is a dangerous thing we do when we make excuses. It is extremely counterproductive to our emotional, intellectual, relational, physical and spiritual health. Why?

• It reduces us to chronic victims
• It is dishonesty in its base form
• It postpones growth and healing
• It gives the devil a stranglehold on our lives
• It invites the judgment of God
• It fails to deal with the real problem

Proverbs 24:12 in the Living Translation reads this way:

“Don’t try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it. For God knows all hearts, and he sees you. He keeps watch over your soul, and he knows you knew! And he will judge all people according to what they have done.”

What is Solomon trying to tell us? Own up to things in our lives that go sideways! Don’t shift the focus when things are wrong. We know where the blame lies…and God knows we know. And if we continue in the pattern of irresponsible behavior, the spiritual consequences will be severe: God’s punishment will be upon us.

What would Solomon have us to do? Three things:

Number One: Make the Connection. When something goes wrong, figure out the real reason why!

In Discipleship Journal, the story is told of the manager of a minor league baseball team who was so disgusted with his center fielder’s performance that he ordered him to the dugout and assumed the position himself. The first ball that came into center field took a bad hop and hit the manager in the mouth. The next one was a high fly ball, which he lost in the glare of the sun – until it bounced off his fore-head. The third was a hard line drive that he charged with outstretched arms; unfortunately, it flew be-tween his hands and smacked his eye. Well, the manager was so furious, he ran back to the dugout, grabbed the center fielder by the uniform, and shouted, “You idiot! You’ve got center field so messed up that even I can’t do a thing with it!”

That’s like a lot of people…they’ve never made the connection between cause and effect relationships.

Number Two: Refuse To Blame. Simple as that…just resist the human tendency to find a scapegoat!

In the Christian Reader, Lillian Holcomb speaks of telling her two grandsons a Bible story, then ask-ing if they knew what the word sin meant. Seven-year-old Keith spoke up: “It’s when you do some-thing bad.” Well, four-year-old Aaron’s eyes widened. “I know a big sin Keith did today” Keith turned in annoyance to his little brother and said, “You take care of your sins, and I’ll take care of mine.”

And that’s pretty good advice. That’s what Jesus was saying when he talked about taking care of the log in your own eye before you try to get the speck of dust out of your friend’s eye.

Number Three: Take Personal Responsibility. Become a student of your mistakes…learn from the things life throws your way and choose to grow through them!

Don Shula, the legendary former coach of the Miami Dolphins, in his book Everyone’s A Coach, tells of losing his temper near an open microphone during a televised game with the Los Angeles Rams. Millions of viewers were surprised and shocked by Shula’s explicit profanity. Scores of people started sending letters from all over the country, voicing their disappointment in this coach who had been known for his integrity.

Shula could have given excuses, but he didn’t…he was a real stand up guy! Everyone who included a return address received a personal apology. And he closed each letter by stating, “I value your respect and will do my best to earn it again.” Shula gained the respect of just about everybody by doing that. And he demonstrated one of the most profound truths about personal character and spiritual growth: When you fail, don’t make excuses. Own up to it, deal with it, and move forward!

So when something unpleasant comes your way, identify the source of it, learn from it, get over it, and get on with it. Make your personal mantra the phrase: NO EXCUSES! And if you do, you’ll be well on the way to having the life you’ve always wanted.

One More Thing… “The only exercise some people get is jumping at conclusions, running down their friends, sidestepping responsibility, and pushing their luck.” -Arnold Glasow