Chasing Donkeys Series: Follow the Tracks Sýnishorn

Don’t Make Excuses

When you read the account of Saul’s pre-king donkey chase, you discover that finding the donkey wasn’t a simple task. On Day 3, we looked at the value of having a trusted companion to keep you from giving up. This is because most people tend to give up in the face of any resistance. Yet, despite the servant pressing on, Saul kept resorting to excuses. As I explain in the book, excuses are lies we tell ourselves to avoid the truth. Resorting to excuses, however, can significantly limit our spiritual growth.

1) Not facing the truth of our circumstances keeps us from growing through adversity. Just like a butterfly that struggles to free itself from the cocoon to have the strength to fly, we, too, must grow from our struggles in life. Romans 5:3-4 clearly reminds us: We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

2) When people recognize we operate by excuses, they lose trust and confidence in our character. They begin to wonder if we will do what we say we’ll do or just make excuses about why we didn’t follow through on something. All we’re doing is trying to protect ourselves, but we’re only discrediting our character. Fortunately, the solution is simple. Heed the instructions of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount: Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one. Matthew 5:37

3) Clinging to excuses drives us to miss opportunities to grow because we’re trying to stay in our comfort zone with reasons to play it safe rather than take a chance and learn from the experience. This is part of the growth journey we experience as we are on our personal donkey chase toward what God has prepared in advance for our lives. (see Ephesians 2:10)

Author and filmmaker Alex Kendrick once shared an experience where he felt God asking him one simple question. His answer would reveal how serious he was about chasing his own personal donkey to discover what God had in store for his life. The question was: “Would you rather have an easy road with less fruit or a hard road with more fruit?” Excuse makers tend to choose the easy road.

What about you?

Get the full experience from the book, Chasing Donkeys.