Stop Waiting for PermissionSample

Excuses, Excuses

In the story that we looked at yesterday from Matthew 25, the wealthy man doesn’t spell out his reasons for divvying up the management of his millions unequally. But as I see it, the one-talent manager allows comparison to steal his creativity. He likely feels he has less room for mistakes than the other two. Makes sense . . . because he does! It is easier to accomplish your goals when you start with more resources.

However . . . disadvantages can be an incredibly powerful driver of creativity. Successfully navigating our disadvantages demands our best from us—and since our best is what’s required for greatness, we’re halfway there just by showing up.

The other option is to allow limitations to become excuses.

“If I had five talents like that guy, I’d be a success.”

“If I had his good looks, I would have gotten the job.”

“If I had a family background like hers, my relationships would be better.”

If we were half as creative solving problems as we are making excuses, we would be unstoppable!

In another of Jesus’s parables, He compares a person’s heart to soil (see Luke 8:4-15). Several factors affect the quality of soil—how much sunlight it receives, how rocky it is, and what kind of other seeds are in it.

Likewise, a number of factors impact our heart’s capacity for growing what God plants in us. If my heart is full of anxiety, fear, and insecurity, I may see risks as threats to my safety. But if my heart is full of hope, faith, and courage, I’m more likely to view risks as opportunities to go after greatness.

The apostle Paul understood that how we interpret our experiences changes how we live. In Ephesians 1:18, we read: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order than you may know the hope to which [God] has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.”

Our limitations may be huge, but they can liberate us from small thinking, small hopes, and small faith. Don’t let your disadvantages be the final word on what’s possible for God.

What are your favorite excuses for not pursuing God’s call to take a risk? How does believing God’s purpose for you change your interpretation of your limitations, so you see them as opportunities instead?