Excuses

August 7th, 2024
by Kenny Olive

For the next several weeks, we will have guest authors for our Words for Wednesday. Today our guest author is Kenny Olive. Enjoy!

Excuses

I want to talk about making excuses—something each of us have probably done. I know I have. And it’s not a good thing to do. Benjamin Franklin said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else” and Florence Nightingale, “I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.”

The dictionary says excuses are “an attempt to lessen blame; to defend or justify.
I had a coworker that told of his brother when applying for a job, neglected to state that he had been arrested for speeding a few years earlier. When questioned by HR he said “Oh yeah, but that didn’t count” the HR person asked why wouldn’t that arrest count?” The brother said “because I didn’t have a driver's license at the time.”

See? We think we are so good at it, that we make fun of some excuses that we have heard, or maybe even used. “I tripped on a rock”, “The sun was in my eyes”, “Where’s my homework? Oh yeah, the dog ate it.”

What about in our Christian lives?

When I read the Bible, it’s very interesting to see that Jesus isn’t surprised by how much we excel at making excuses. He talked to his followers one day about this through a parable of a great banquet. Jesus told them, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses.” (Luke 14:16-18 – ESV).

There is a difference between a reason and an excuse. A reason has full truth behind it. An excuse seldom does. We try to make excuses from time to time, but that does not change the fact that God does not want to hear our excuses; or that God can and may overrule our excuses; or that God can strengthen us so we can overcome our excuses.

All of these excuses indicate “I don’t want to, or, this doesn’t align with my plans.”

Can you guess who made them?

· I don’t have that ability
· I never know what to say
· I don’t have the authority to do that.
· I’m not a good speaker
· Just let someone else do it

Did you guess? It was Moses! Be encouraged, just like in the case of Moses, God helped Moses overcome his excuses. Moses was not perfect, but he did do that which was entrusted to him, in Gods power. Read about them in Exodus 3 and 4.

We too should be encouraged that through, prayer, surrender, truth, commitment, trust, we can allow God to fortify us. We must surrender our excuses, and move forward in His spirit, and His truth. God can help us do just that!

These are our Words for Wednesday,

In Christ
Kenny Olive