We’re all tired of hearing lame excuses but at some point, we’re all guilty of making them. If only I had enough time to commit to a goal, or the skills to get to the next level or the money to pay all my bills, then I’d be there. Our “there” is the ideal – a place that will show our progress to what God has called us to do.
Excuses are often used to cover the truth behind our actions. Sometimes we can be more committed to giving an excuse than we are to owning up to our responsibility in our daily routines. Most of us seem to give – “lame excuses,” and we need to learn how we can become world changers instead of excuse makers by how we respond.
In Acts 3: 1-16, we encounter the story of Peter and John healing a beggar who’s been lame from birth. A man who stays at the temple gate named Beautiful to beg for money as people made their way to the temple. He asked the same of Peter and John. Instead of Peter giving an excuse for not having what the man requested, he gives the man what he does have – Jesus. We learn from Peter and John on how to cast aside lame excuses and see the solutions.
“Everyone wants a harvest, but no one wants to plow a field.” – Matthew Peavy
Here are three solutions:
GIVE WHAT YOU GOT
You might not have everything but you have something. Learn to give of what you do have. We often give excuses about what we don’t have and that prevents us from taking responsibility and giving of what we do have. If you have nothing physical to offer, like Peter, know that you have Jesus and that is sufficient to solve any problem. You have no idea what you got until you give it. You have more in you to give!
PARTNER WITH PEOPLE
Peter not only gave the lame man the answer to his problem, he extended his hand to him to help him up afterwards. The power was through Jesus but the hand of help was Peter’s. He helped the lame man stand and he then became strong and was able to walk. Partnership and collaboration leads to multiplication. As we do life together, we get stronger and miracles begin to happen.
We’re all tired of hearing lame excuses but at some point, we’re all guilty of making them. If only I had enough time to commit to a goal, or the skills to get to the next level or the money to pay all my bills, then I’d be there. Our “there” is the ideal – a place that will show our progress to what God has called us to do.
SEE THE MESSAGE IN THE MIRACLE
We often believe God guides by what he provides but sometimes, God also guides by what he withholds. The lame man asked for silver and gold but had he been given what he wanted, he would have missed what he truly needed. We need to shift our perspective and be grateful for the closed doors we see as missed opportunities. The rejections that could mean redirection to God’s will.
Before the extraordinary happens, get used to living out the ordinary by controlling your response to life’s happenings. Let’s resolve to stop making excuses and start making progress