Excuse Me

Okay - it's been a while. Things have been busy, I have been distracted, pressing responsibilities have consumed my time, blah, blah, blah. Like you, I have a ready list of excuses I can throw out at any given moment. The bottom line is, though, I haven't posted anything in a while simply because I didn't take the time to do it. Period.

So, that's my explanation to all three of you that actually read this.

It's tough for me to cut to the bottom line and just admit that I could of done something but didn't. My natural tendency is to make an excuse in order to justify my action or lack thereof. I'm guessing I'm not the only one with that tendency. (Alright - it's not a guess; it's actually a statement of fact based on years in the pastorate.) We use excuses like an emergency exit door from responsibility.

The problem is, excuses rarely solve anything. Typically, they lead to questions which lead to further excuses which create more questions. It's an ugly cycle. And in all honesty, I can't say that I feel better after passing off a lame excuse. Usually, my mind is scrambling to find more excuses to fill the holes in my previous excuse. But more important than the issue of my own personal peace of mind is the fact that my reliance on excuses stands as a barrier to my growth in Christlike character.

I've been giving some thought to what Jesus said about letting your "yes" be "yes" and your "no" be "no." People of true humility and integrity simply let their words stand in truth; they do not need qualification or justification. We are not called to live and speak with hidden agendas or conditions, but consistently in truth and love. My words are an expression of my character, and as a follower of Jesus, I want to be able to stand by my words with integrity.

Often, my excuses are not words I can genuinely stand by. Instead, they are manipulative, conditional manners of speech that deflect truth and responsibility. Rather than a simple "yes" or "no," excuses interject a "but" that seeks to distract and distort the reality of a situation. Making excuses does more to defend my pride than to build integrity; it is failure searching for a loophole.

Some habits are hard to break, but as a first step, I will make no excuse for not posting the last two months. But you do have to realize all that I had. . . oh, sorry. It really is hard to stop.