Excuses and consequences

     Some people have an excuse for everything.  In fact, it seems like they spend their time looking for situations where they can manufacture an even better or newer excuse.  While the expert excusers seem to gain much from their efforts they really are the losers.  Now I have made my share of excuses when I should have taken responsibility instead.  Those around me suffered the consequences along with me.  Often this resulted in people parting ways rather than continue to be dragged down the long dark tunnel.  Sometimes you and I think we are actually making wise decisions when in reality we are making unwise excuses.  There is more of "I can't..." in the world than there is of "I can...".  The ability we all have is to not make any excuses.  Accepting responsibility for ALL areas of my life seems like a daunting experience.  Yet, in my heart I know that accepting responsibility will bring about positive consequences while making excuses will bring about negative consequences. 
     We have come to that place in our world where excuses and blame are the predominant choices for many.  Shrug off the responsibility and throw someone else under the bus.  We are going to survive no matter who we have to walk all over to get to our destination.  There have been many times while on the freeway there was a vehicle that HAD to get by in order to get ahead of me and others on the roadway.  To do so they would take risks and make moves that endangered not only themselves but also everyone else on the road. Many of our road rage episodes come from just such behavior.  The path of destruction left behind many people is enough for some to just get out of the way.  In the end, we take our exit and coast to the stop light at the bottom of the exit to find ourselves sitting in the lane next to the person who needed to get ahead so badly.  Sometimes I just tap my horn and wave to them.  Risk accompanies excuses and the bigger the need for an excuse the bigger the risk to those involved.
     It's bad enough that we inflict our excuses on others at work, home, and church; but we also inflict our excuses on our children.  Cat Steven, in his famous song "Cats in the Cradle" provide a perfect example of what happens when excuses drive our lives.  Our children begin to grow and continue to grow until they are on their own.  Our excuses take us out of their lives and we are left wondering what happened.  Like the person waiting at the stop light we, as adults, sit back and wonder what it is we really accomplished when our kids have grown and gone.  The consequences are huge in any situation but especially huge when it involves the maturation of our children and their lives in adulthood.  Teaching these little ones to do what we do is contrary to the instruction of the Bible.  We are to be examples of accountability with accompanying positive consequences to show.  This extends to our relationships with our families, friends, co-workers and even our enemies.  Time passes though and we are left with what we have sowed.  For some there is nothing.
     It's not fear that drives our excuses.  It's selfishness that drives our excuses.  We want this "this" and will do or say whatever we need to do or say in order to possess "this."  Whatever happened to accepting responsibility for our thoughts, words and actions?  Do we really believe that blaming others or situations will make our world better?  In fact, the excuses we make and use to build a wall only construct our own prison cells.  Selfishness may seem to be a good thing in the world.  Selfishness may even seem to be the status quo.  However, the Bible is clear that the only selfishness we are to participate in is to take the free gift of God (that we don't deserve) and be saved through the work of Jesus Christ to save our souls.  Now that is a positive consequence.  Instead of making excuses take responsibility for that place you are in.  Don't misunderstand me; sometimes situations deal us a bad deal.  That is not an excuse ready made for us to be selfish. 
     What if...today, this moment, the next and throughout the day, we were to make NO excuses at all.  Would there be positive consequences or negative ones?  What would people think when you took responsibility instead of made excuses.  Who would you influence for good?  Would people ask you why you are so different and not making excuses?  Could this behavior lead to a place where you could share your faith and someone else could be saved?  All because you and I choose today to not make excuses.  Sounds good to me!