“Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.”
~ Don Wilder and Bill Rechin
Silly Songs
Sometimes songs pop into our heads for no apparent reason, and they are hard to shake. I have found recently that writing seems to help bring this to an end. My problem song for today is, There’s a Hole in the Bucket, Dear Liza. I know, bizarre! Hopefully, you won’t get stuck with the song. As you can see from the lyrics, Liza is stuck in a rut with her beloved Henry. Actually, Henry’s problem is not the bucket at all. The problem is that he just does not want to do what she asks.
People often find themselves in situations where they feel they must make excuses that seem to be perfectly legitimate explanations to them about why they cannot accomplish a task. But the harsh, underlying truth is that they simply do not want to do it. They do not want to go. They do not want to change. They just don’t want it!
Moses
Recently, we have been studying one of the Biblical super-heroes, Moses. (Text: Exodus 3:1-4:17) . You know the basic story. God called out to Moses to go back to Egypt and save his people. Moses just does not want to do this thing, and he thinks he can get out of it. He offers several “legitimate” excuses…
Who the heck am I?
“Who am I?” I am too small, too lowly, too dis-graced, too dis-connected, too tongue-tied…. God’s answer to Moses was that He would always be with him, as He is with us. Many of us try to use or hide behind this excuse. We simply are just not enough.
The sad truth is that if you say this negative stuff to yourself long enough, you will begin to believe it!
You need to focus on the totally opposite belief. You are sufficient and are up to almost any task that you put your mind, heart, faith and back to.
What the heck am I going to say?
Moses moves on to his next excuse: “What shall I say?” And, you know what he is really concerned about here. This excuse is just an extension of #1. “I am so small and so lowly, that no one will think that I know what I am talking about. And, no one will listen to what I have to say. They will probably throw rotten fruit at me, yada, yada, yada…” God’s answer to him is clear. “I (God) will tell you what to say.”
This, boys and girls, is the real fear that keeps you from speaking up when you know that you should. You are not nearly as concerned about what is right or correct, as you are about the possibility of looking foolish or out-of-step or un-cool. But stop for a moment and consider this.
If you can quietly sit and coherently think of what to say in your mind, and you possess the skills to articulate your thoughts, what is really holding you back? Simply stated, if you can think it clearly and logically, then you can say it well enough. You already know what to say.
And then finally, we come to the heart of the matter…
“Please send someone, anyone else”
All of the excuses that Moses has used up to this point are a smokescreen thrown up in an attempt to hide the fact that he just does not want to do this thing. Now that the smokescreen has vanished, God becomes impatient with Moses. The tenor of God’s conversation takes on a different tone, and the request becomes a command.
Stop your own madness!
People are always saying that they would like for their lives to be different or better, or something… You want to advance, and you want to make something significant happen at home or on your job. Perhaps you have a dream that has been rattling around in your head and it feels like the right time to move on it.
The Time is Now … The Time is ALWAYS Now!
The time has come to put away all of your excuses. No one can change your life, except you.
Again: No one can change your life, except you!
Every excuse that you offer to yourself and to everyone else is only a smokescreen, a cover-up, a façade.
You, my friend, are called into this life to accomplish things.
The Plan
It is the weekend.
- Make an appointment with yourself for some quiet time.
- Search you heart, mind and soul. What have you been called here to do?
- Figure out where you are going.
- Pen and paper at hand.
- Get some focused time on the computer or go “old school,” and head to the library.
- Come away from this exercise with at least one real, concrete, do-able thing that you actually plan to do to move yourself forward within the next week.
- Actually write it down and do it!
- Let me know about your progress.
Let’s do this!!!
“Don’t make excuses – make good.”
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/77227873@N03/6946869600/sizes/o/in/photostream/
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