We are all good at making excuses. Tom Casano, in a Huffington Post article, wrote about, The 10 Most Common Excuses For Not Reaching Your Goals. His list included:
1. Money.
2. I don’t have the time.
3. Overwhelmed.
4. Not the right time to start.
5. Fear.
6. I’m Too Old/Young.
7. It’s just who I am.
8. It’s too hard.
9. What will others think?
10. What if I fail?
Common excuses and ones that maybe we have all used on occasion. And yet, there are people everywhere who have said no to excuses and stepped up and stepped out to make things happen.
- They haven’t used “money” as an excuse. They have realized the importance of sacrifice and setting new financial priorities.
- They haven’t used “time” as an excuse. They have realized they need to waste less time and say no to some things so they can say yes to others.
- They haven’t used feeling “overwhelmed” as an excuse. They have learned to focus on steps and process and what it means to eat an elephant one bite at a time.
- They haven’t used “it’s not the right time to start” as an excuse. Because there is seldom a right time and they have realized that the only time to start is right now.
- They haven’t used “fear” as an excuse. Because there will always be fear but they have found the courage to move past it.
- They haven’t used “I’m too old or too young” as an excuse. They have used their age to their advantage. Youthful exuberance and years of life experience can both be used to one’s advantage.
- They haven’t used “it’s just who I am” as an excuse. They have not given up on themselves but changed their mindset and made the choice to grow.
- They haven’t used “it’s too hard” as an excuse. They have realized if it were easy everyone would be doing it. Hard work sets us apart.
- They haven’t used “what will others think” as an excuse. They won’t let negativity hinder them and realize there will always be critics.
- They haven’t used “what if I fail” as an excuse. Instead, they say “what if I succeed.”
As Christ followers, we can also come up with a bevy of excuses. We are good at it. Remember, there are no reasons for not obeying the Lord, just excuses. What is God asking you to do? Where is He asking you to obey? How is He asking you to step out in faith and attempt great things? In Exodus 3-4, Moses had a long list of “excuses” as to why He should not be the one to go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt. In the end, He obeyed. And God used him in a mighty way. God wants to use you and me, too. His Word to Moses is good for you and me today: “I will be with you.” (Ex 3:12). It’s time to act!