I had an athlete who struggled all season in competition. There was lots of negative talk and a lot of reasons why she was not performing at the level we both knew she was capable of. She had lots of excuses. As a pastor, I have experienced the same thing: people who wanted to grow closer to God, be used by him or deal with stress. They had all kinds of reasons why they could not achieve this. Those were excuses as well.
Excuses are crippling and lead to a perpetual cycle of failure be it in exercising, work, relationships or spiritual growth. In my experience, the difference between those people who succeed and those who do not, is those who succeed failed and got up. They struggled and kept pushing. They got uncomfortable and just accepted it. Each decided to stop making excuses because they believed they were worth the hard work.
That’s the difference. Because, let’s be honest, we have lots of reasons for why we fail. But they are excuses. You see them all over social media. But also, I’ll be honest again, none of this is easy.
If you want to do anything great, from losing weight to getting that job to growing in God, your path there is going to be hard. There are going to be moments of such intense discomfort that you’ll assume something is wrong with you, and you’ll think the people you’ve seen succeed had some type of advantage.
No Plan B
You will just have to tell yourself to keep going forward through the dark, because that was their advantage. Have no Plan B. Once you have a Plan B, you’ve already put the doubt in your head. You’ve already told yourself there is another acceptable vision besides your true vision.
So, what might this look like lived out? Just like in our training, we need to live with integrity and accountability. There’s no cheat code and no hacks. When we make excuses, we shift the focus from our own responsibility to external circumstances or others. This can lead to a pattern of blame-shifting and victim mentality, hindering our growth and relationships. It doesn’t work in the gym and it doesn’t work in life.
In Proverbs 28:13, we’re reminded, ‘Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.’ Excuses can be a way of concealing our sins or shortcomings, preventing us from confronting and learning from them. Instead of making excuses, we’re encouraged to take ownership of our actions and attitudes. Philippians 4:13 says, ‘I can do all this through him who gives me strength.’ This verse reminds us that we’re not alone in our struggles; God’s strength empowers us to overcome challenges and take responsibility.
Focus on God
By abandoning excuses and embracing accountability, we demonstrate trust in God’s sovereignty and sufficiency. We can confess our shortcomings, receive mercy, and grow in faith and character. As we do, we’ll become more like Jesus, reflecting His love and integrity to those around us.”
Don’t hold back, go for it! The Bible says: “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” (2 Chronicles 15:7). What you have to tell yourself is that there is nothing that will stop you because you’re worth the work and God is on your side. When it gets hard, you’ll get stronger. When it feels impossible, you’ll redefine possible.
And what happened to the athlete I mentioned at the beginning? A few weeks later she took a chance and eliminated the excuses and negative self talk. She went for it and achieved her first podium ever at a provincial championships. Stop making excuses, you are worth it, get going.
Share This With Others
