Excuses

In today’s world, everyone makes excuses. In any case, our mind is pondering a rationalization since we do not always want to face the truth in all cases.

We usually give excuses to justify ourselves (especially when we do not want to do something), to reduce blame by attaching it to a fault or offence. This way one does not look bad, and the responsibility of failure is not entirely shouldered. The learning from the failure is most times avoided.

An excuse can be defined as self-serving explanations or narratives that try to diminish personal responsibility for problematic events by disengaging fundamental self-components from the experience.

Do excuses have advantages? Sure.

· It allows us to evade self-doubt.

· It allows us to preserve the balance in our relationships, so we are seen as reliable individuals.

· It reduces our feeling of guilt, and self-blame, which lowers the likelihood of other unpleasant emotions like anxiety and despair.

Disadvantages of excuses

· One’s credibility is hampered, and this will affect relationships.

· It stunts character development and growth. We tend to convince ourselves that we could not control the outcome and so do not need to adjust in the future. We never develop past our current position because failure becomes easier to accept in ourselves.

· Reduces performance: when others regard you as unreliable, they are less likely to give you responsibilities or prospects for advancement.

· One’s self-control discipline is affected as there is an easy way out of not getting work done.

· It can lead to abhorring behaviours that is denying change/ workability not just from oneself but to others which sometimes include abuse of different kinds (e.g., domestic violence).

Let’s take a look at the scriptures and learn:

Never make excuses for not following/accepting Christ.

In Luke 9: 57–62, Jesus deals with some men who make excuses for why they cannot follow Him.

Luke 9: 57–62

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus was traveling along the road with a group of people when He turned to one of them and said, “Follow me.” “First, let me go bury my father,” the man replied. That sounds reasonable, but we do not know if the man’s father was still alive. He could have wished to wait till his father died before committing his life to Jesus. “Let the dead bury their dead,” Jesus replied. You go forth and declare God’s kingdom.”

“Follow me,” Jesus murmured, turning to another guy in the crowd. “I will accompany you, Lord,” he replied, “but first let me return home and say goodbye to my father.” This man’s excuse did not sit well with Jesus. “No one who starts ploughing and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God,” he told him.

Jesus was looking for people who would give up everything to follow him, including their families, friends, and jobs. Instead, he was met with excuses. “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests,” Jesus remarked, “but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” It would be difficult to follow Jesus, so you could not make any excuses and must be willing to live a new, life that may not be easy.

Jesus is still calling today, “Follow me!” Will you follow, or be like the men mentioned above who made excuses? A second chance may never occur. Sometimes following Jesus may seem hard for us, but the reward is well worth our efforts.

Luke 14:15–20

Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!” Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready. But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me. Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me. Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t come.’

Giving an excuse allows room for being substituted and most times it might be a chance of a lifetime as the replacement can turn out to utilise the opportunity given better (even though they may not look it in the beginning).

Sometimes we ask for God for certain things (babies, job, etc.) and when He grants them, we use the very same request as an excuse from following/serving Him.

Excuses result in the blame game! Adam and Eve

Genesis 3:11–13

Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

We tend to make excuses when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. The popular slogan is, “it is the devil.”

Adam and Eve sinned, made excuses, and attempted to place blame on one another. They believed that God would overlook their sins because they could justify their actions. God chastised them. This demonstrates that no matter how clever one is or how hard one tries to justify the excuse, God may not accept it (Genesis 3: 9–19; Galatians 6: 7–8).

Galatians 6: 7–8

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Laziness results in excuses

Proverbs 22:13

The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!”

Proverbs 26:12–16

There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise. The lazy person claims, “There is a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!” As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed. Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth. Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.

He has not even gone out to meet a lion on the way, yet he assumes there’s a lion on the road. That is how lazy people are, they do not even try at all on a task and have ready-made excuses to support their character.

Proverbs 20:4

Sluggards do not plough in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.

Making excuses is what we do when we procrastinate.

Proverbs 6:4

Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids.

Always try not to put a task off for long (this will require discipline); act today! Don’t stop till you have it done.

Excuses for being rebellious towards God’s Word are no excuse, it is grievous because it leads to hell.

1 John 1:6

So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.

1 Peter 2:16

For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.

John 15:22

They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

(To be continued………………………..)

You can also check my previous story here.

Dan Moore Kris Gage Wake Up Call P.S. I Love You @writingsolo