Ditching the Five Excuses that Paralyze Progress

by | Leadership, Personal Growth

Excuses are a common fixture in the landscape of life. CareerBuilder released a list of the most unbelievable excuses bosses have heard from employees for why they couldn’t come to work. These are REAL excuses heard by their sample of 2,203 hiring managers and HR professionals:

10. Employee just put a casserole in the oven.

9. Employee’s plastic surgery for enhancement purposes needed some “tweaking” to get it just right.

8. Employee was sitting in the bathroom and her feet and legs fell asleep. When she stood up, she fell and broke her ankle.

7. Employee had been at the casino all weekend and still had money left to play with on Monday morning.

6. Employee woke up in a good mood and didn’t want to ruin it.

5. Employee had a “lucky night” and didn’t know where he was.

4. Employee got stuck in the blood pressure machine at the grocery store and couldn’t get out.

3. Employee had a gall stone they wanted to heal holistically.

2. Employee caught their uniform on fire by putting it in the microwave to dry.

1. Employee accidentally got on a plane.

No Excuses

Excuses come in all shapes and sizes, but they often scream the loudest when we start a new year, set a new goal, or envision a new dream. Perhaps they’re most common when God challenges us to do something brave, something selfless. Take Moses for example.

One day God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and called him to go back to Egypt to deliver the Hebrews out of slavery (Exodus 3:7-10). This is the same Moses who had already tried once (in his own wisdom) and failed miserably. His foolish attempt led him on a run for his life to the land of Midian.

I find it ironic that God would call Moses to do the very thing he failed at years earlier. Therein lies an important truth: Never underestimate God’s ability to call you past your past. Your past may be riddled with failures, disobedience, and regret, but God can call you past your past into a future full of divine purpose. Learn how to respond to regret.

[bctt tweet=”Never underestimate God’s ability to call you past your past.”]

Moses wasn’t so confident. In fact, after his burning bush encounter with God, Moses rolled out a list of five excuses to God for why this was a bad idea.

The Five Excuses That Paralyze Progress

Excuse #1: Insignificance: I’m Not Important Enough

Exodus 3:11 says, “But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” (NLT). Moses was essentially saying, “God, I’m a nobody! Why would you pick me God? I’m not important enough. I’m insignificant. Pick somebody whose name is in the headlines.”

A couple of years ago Karen and I visited the Newseum in Washington D.C. The Newseum is a museum of the news, and features newsworthy stories of yesterday through the eyes of the media. Over 800 newspapers from every state in the U.S. submit the front page of their newspaper to the Newseum every day.

One of the most unique aspects of the Newseum is the News History Gallery. I remember walking through this gallery, which features more than 300 historic newspaper front pages from every imaginable news story you could think of: Presidential wins, World Series championships, major historical events… you name it, it’s there.

While the headlines were remarkable, I was nothing more than an observer from the newsstands of history. Thinking back to that experience, I’ve asked myself, “How many times do we do that in life?”

How many times do we read the headlines of the brave, but we never write our own? How many times do we read the news, but we never make news. Please hear what I’m NOT saying. I’m not talking about being famous, getting your name in lights, or seeing your face on the news. I’m not talking about how many followers you have on Twitter, how many views you have on YouTube, or whether or not you have a bestselling book.

[bctt tweet=”How many times do we read the headlines of the brave, but we never write our own?”]

I’m simply posing a question: How many times do we watch the brave without ever being brave, because we believe we’re not good enough? That’s the excuse that paralyzed Moses. He started there, but he didn’t stop there.

Excuse #2: Incompetence: I’d Don’t Know Enough

Exodus 3:13 says, “But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” (NLT).

Moses was saying, “God, I don’t know enough. I don’t have the spiritual knowledge that your people have. What if they ask me a question that I don’t have the answer to? God, I’m too incompetent for this task.”

Ever used that excuse? I have! My lack of knowledge has paralyzed progress and kept me from doing what I should have done. 

Excuse #3: Invalid: I’m Not Credible Enough

Moses doubted his credibility when he said, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” (Exodus 4:1, NLT).

Moses had already blown it once, and he figured the Hebrews would look at him and say, “Yeah, you tried that once before and it didn’t work so well. Do you really think we’re going to believe you this time? We can’t trust you. You’re not credible. You have no validity Moses.” Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever experienced a credibility gap between a future vision and your present reality?

I’m sure Christopher Columbus felt the same way when he set sail for a new world with a crew who had never been more than 300 miles off shore. But the rest is history. Today in Washington D.C. stands a monument with this inscription: “To the memory of Christopher Columbus, whose high faith and indomitable courage gave to mankind a new world.”

Despite their credibility gap, Columbus and his crew set sail anyway. They refused to let fear paralyze their progress. They ditched the excuse of couldn’t, shouldn’t, wouldn’t, stared their credibility gap in the face, and turned invalid into valid.

Excuse #4: Inadequacy: I’m Not Skilled Enough

Next, Moses turned his attention to his personal weaknesses and reminded God of his stuttering problem.” Exodus 4:10 says, “But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” (NLT).

What was Moses saying? “God, I’m inadequate for the job. I don’t have the right set of skills.” All of us can point to moments when we our abilities didn’t seem to match God’s call. The size of the task overshadowed the size of our talent. Perhaps that’s when God does his greatest work, so he can receive the greatest glory.

Excuse #5: Inferior: I’m Not Good Enough

In desperation, Moses offered one final excuse: “But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else” (Exodus 4:13, NLT). I can picture Moses saying, “God, if you line me up with a hundred other people, I’d be the last pick. I’m inferior to everyone else. Please God, pick somebody else. I’m not good enough.”

We’re not much different than Moses are we? Most of us have a file cabinet full of excuses we can go to when the situation demands bravery. But excuses are nothing more than an attempt to acquire short-term relief from our fears and failures. The problem is, excuses always lead to the same place: regret.

[bctt tweet=”Excuses always lead to the same place: regret.”]

Excuses never lead you to the place you want to go or the person you want to become. John Maxwell is right when he says, “It’s easier to go from failure to success than it is from excuses to success.” Excuses are the permanent exit ramps from the highway of obedience.

God’s Response to Our Excuses

Moses rattled off five excuses, desperate to find a way out of God’s calling. So how did God respond? Three ways:

  • “I’ve sent you…”
  • “I’ve equipped you…”
  • “I’m with you…”

When Moses felt insignificant, inadequate, and inferior, God said, “I’m with you” (Exodus 3:12; 4:11-12, 14-17). When Moses felt incompetent, God said, “I sent you” (Exodus 3:14). When he felt invalid and inferior, God reminded Moses that He equipped him (Exodus 4:2; 4:14-17).

The same is true for you today. When God leads you to do something new, something out of your comfort zone, and something that demands bravery, He doesn’t abandone you. Here’s what you need to remember:

Ditch the excuses that paralyze progress by recognizing that
God sent you, equipped you, and is with you.

When God calls you to do something brave, to lead outside of your comfort zone, remember the source. This is God’s idea. He’s the one sending you. God is with you every step of the way, and He’s equipped you for the task at hand. Don’t let your excuses paralyze you any longer. Silence the insignificance and inadequacy. Don’t let excuses become the anchor that ties you to the shoreline. Ditch the excuses and be brave.

 

Stephen Blandino

Stephen Blandino

Pastor | Author | Coach | Podcaster

Leaders today are frustrated by a lack of clarity, ineffective systems, dysfunctional teams, and unhealthy cultures. I speak, coach, and write to help motivated pastors and leaders gain clarity, build high-performing teams, and maximize organizational health.

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