Excuses

If it’s important enough, you will find a way. If not, you will find an excuse.

There seems to be a habit in society to avoid responsibility by casting the blame on someone, or something else. It’s nothing new. Adam blamed Eve, while she said it was the serpent’s fault. Why is it so difficult for us to accept when we mess up?

Maybe it’s because we feel that it’s okay to act on our feelings and satisfy our immediate desires, without considering how it might affect those around us. It was because of a lack of thinking ahead, that mankind needs to live in a sinful world. But that isn’t an excuse to keep on sinning. Because people in the past thought it was okay to treat people of a different race, gender and social status, in an inferior way, doesn’t mean that we can use it as an excuse to continue with that behaviour. It also doesn’t help to live in the past and use it as an excuse to see ourselves as victims for the rest of our lives. By doing this, we are simply robbing ourselves of joy, and robbing the world of what we have to offer

Maybe it’s because we are not taught what the concept of “consequence” means. First world education is pursuing a very dangerous path. As a veteran teacher, I have experienced principals excusing unacceptable behaviour from students because, apparently, punishment isn’t a good educational technique. They say that it might psychologically damage a child. This ridiculous notion is actually what is causing our children to grow up without the understanding that our choices have consequences. As a society, we feel that it’s okay to aggressively arrest people who are not wearing masks, but we can’t raise our voices to out of control children who are infringing on the right of an education for those students who want to learn. This has been happening long enough now, that those children, are now adults refusing to take responsibility by looking for excuses for their out-of-control actions.

Here’s the thing… no matter what has happened to us in the past, we need to stop using that as an excuse for the way we are acting now. No matter how people around us are acting, we have the choice to do and say the right thing. We can’t use the lack of love in the world today, as an excuse for not sharing the love of Jesus. In fact, that is the very reason why we need to love! The whole concept of God’s Good News, begins with us leaving behind the excuses, and accepting that we are sinners. One of the very reasons why so many people refuse to surrender to God, is because they look for excuses and are unwilling to accept that the consequences of dying without Jesus, is an eternal one.

Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts! Have an amazing, excuse-free day!