ARTFUL EXCUSES

Benjamin Franklin said a lot of things and one of the things he said was about the character of people. “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”

In seven years of writing this column I have very seldom missed my deadline. In fact, I think I can count on one hand how many times I failed to deliver my finely written masterpiece of opinion, muse, yarns and Kingdom insight on anytime other than ontime. But this week is different I am typing this up late.

Yes I am moving my offices and my church to a whole new location. Yes a friend of mine died and it is also true we had a massive food outreach this week. While those things are as right as rain they are also just excuses when presented in terms of why I couldn't do this job right.

So I thought I might come up with some better ones. Way past the dog ate it I would say something like, “The dog ate my keys and I am having to hitch hike to the vet.”. Those kinds of things are excuses that I think show more intelligence than lack of character. If you are going to look stupid in giving excuses you might as well be smart about it.

If your late for something you can send a text and say things like
this. I am blocked by a presidential motorcade or I’m stuck in the blood pressure machine in HEB.

If you had to pull your kid out of school and your worried about truancy issues I suggest a note like this. Please excuse Mary, she was sick and I had her shot.

Maybe the teacher will think your an idiot and feel sorry enough for your kid to let her pass. Or maybe something like this, “Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday.

If you get pulled over by a police officer that asks you where the fire is. Bat your eyelashes and say something like “Oh officer, in your eyes!”

One time a friend texted me and asked me if I could come over and pray for his house. I replied, “I don’t know, my stigmata is acting up.” Thank you I am here all night.

The bottom line is that there is no excuse for living a life of making excuses. I don’t want to be like that. I am as guilty as anybody I am afraid, but I am consciously fighting it.

Laziness is the lack of action or the lack of the will to act. The I-don’t-wannas and the blahs come from a lack of a priorities and vision. Here’s a big time word of encouragement to get your self moving and not to settle for an excuse when you can take advantage of what God has handed all of us.

Give us the grace Lord.

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20