Excuses

I find that human beings are experts at making excuses. It's a gift, really. I mean, there is no other creature on this planet that has the ability to justify it's shortcomings and weaknesses. In the animal world, weakness = getting eaten.

But we all do it. Our lives are filled with it, in fact.

"I thought I told you to take out the trash." "Oh, my bad. I would've, but I was playing Call of Duty."

"You told me you were gonna be able to hang out today." "Oh, sorry man. I got tied up with my other friends."

Now, at the same time, I do understand that certain excuses are acceptable. Not being able to follow through with your promise of going to the movies with your friends because your dog just died is understandable. But there's one specific excuse that always gets to me. It sounds a little something like this:

"I would spend more time with God everyday, but I'm just not a disciplined guy."

Or...

"I wish I could forgive my father, but it's not easy for me."

Moses did the same thing in Exodus 3, when God asked him to go tell the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go: "But, Moses said to the LORD, 'Oh, my LORD, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue."

God's response is amazingly simple: "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now, therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak."

In other words, God points to a deep truth that I always want to drive home: God did not pick us because of our merit. If He needs us to do anything, He'll give us the strength to do it regardless of how terrible we are at it.  So let's stop making excuses, own up to our weaknesses, and let God work past them.

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