Ever have those great Sunday school lessons that are taught on Sunday morning but stick with you throughout the week and even into future weeks? I am blessed to be a part of a Sunday school class that has those kind of lessons more often than not. This last Sunday was no different - A lesson that has really stuck with me and made me examine my life - my excuses.
I need to start by giving a shout out to our teachers, Steve and Brenda.
They really know how to teach the Word and
make it applicable in a deep and meaningful manner.
This last Sunday was no exception and the
lesson has stuck with me as I have moved through the week.
This week Brenda led a lesson on excuses. My dad has an old saying about excuses –
excuses are like rear-ends; everyone has one and they all stink. But when we think about excuses we don’t
often think about the Bible and how even some of the most strong teachers and
leaders and followers of Christ slipped up now and then and had excuses. But if we turn to the book of Exodus, God
explains His plan to Moses. He lays
everything out, explaining how Moses will go back to Egypt and tell the King to
let the Israelites go. Then Moses has a
very candid, a very human conversation with God – one full of excuses. For each excuse Moses gives, God answers and
reassures him of His plan. As we looked
each of the excuses I could see how those same “reasons” are at play in our
daily lives today.
Excuse #1: Who me?
Exodus 3:11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should
go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
I think this is one of the most often used excuses that we
mere mortals turn to in our daily lives.
We seem to always be asking or rather stating – “Who me?” “You want me
to do what?” “Have you met me?” “Do you know about my past?” “You must be thinking of someone else.” Or
“Someone else will take care of that – that’s not for me!”
We see things all around us that need our help, our
attention, and our prayers. God can use
each of us to serve His purpose but we often let ourselves get in the way. Look how God answers Moses in verse 12 of
Exodus3. “I will be with you!” It’s not you that is supposed to make it all
work and perform miracles and have this amazing life plan all come
together! But rather God – working
through you! There is a quote by Eleanor
Roosevelt that says “A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong she
is until she is in hot water”. This
quote makes me smile and on some levels I find it true. But what is even better to me is that the tea
was already strong before it got in the hot water and as Christians we know we
are strong because we are a special blend – His blend. We are strong through Him, hot water or
not! God wouldn’t call us to go
somewhere or do something or handle something that wasn’t a part of His
plan. So really if you think about it
the question isn’t “who me” because it isn’t about us. It’s about Him. God has got this excuse covered!
Excuse #2: I might not know all the answer
Exodus 3: 13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the
Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and
they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ The what shall I tell them?”
When I first started leading small groups and working with
prayer groups this was one of my biggest fears.
What if someone asked a question that I didn’t know the answer? What if someone wanted to dig deeper and I
didn’t have the right shovel or even know which sandbox they were playing
in. To be perfectly honest… that is how
it feels sometimes when I sit in Sunday school and some of our more theologically
inclined historians get going. But I
have come to see the beauty of these deep discussions. And each time I facilitate a group or pray
with someone I focus on turning the controls over to the one with all the
answers, God. There is a great song by
Toby Mac that often plays in my head before I step into any situation that I
worry about not having the right answers.
Check out Steal My Show. Yes,
it’s about God stealing Toby Mac’s show/concert but in reality the show is
already His and if we step out of the way and give God the stage of our daily
lives then He will provide the right answers when the questions are asked. See?
Excuse covered!
Excuse #3: The
What-If Game
Exodus 4: 1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me
or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”
Wow! Really
Moses? Were you not listening just a few
short paragraphs ago when God explained how His plan would be successful and
the role you would play in that? But
then again, how often do we do this ourselves?
How often we worry and fret – “What if this doesn’t work?” or “What if
we run out of money before the end of the month” or “What if I loose my job?”
or “What if something happens to our children?”
The list could go on and on… I bet right now you could come up with your
own personal list of what-if questions that seem to constantly haunt us. Sometimes when we are called… wait, scratch
that…OFTEN when we are called to do something we play the what if game with
God. We worry and fret and what-if the
situation to death instead of trusting and doing as we are called.
I am a part of a few different ministries that I know I am
called to be a part of. Recently I found
myself playing the what-if game and trying to find a way to not continue some
of them. I didn’t mean to play this
crazy game or question God. I just got caught
up in it all. I worried “What if I don’t
have child care?” and “What if no one shows up?” and “What if I don’t have time
to give it my all because I am just overwhelmed?” But, as I have prayed over our lesson from
this Sunday, my what-if game has come into focus and I knew I was sitting in
the same place Moses was when God approached him. In Jeremiah 29:11 God tells us He has a plan
for us. He tells us He wants us to
prosper and not be harmed. He tells us
His plan is to give us hope and a future.
Yet still, we worry and what-if.
It makes me wonder if someday someone will look back at my story and say
“Was she not listening when God told her He’s got this?” Talk about a wake up call. Excuse
definitely covered!
Excuse #4: I’m not good enough
Exodus 4:10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant,
Lord. I have never been eloquent,
neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
This excuse seems to be chanted by media, sang by society,
and echoed in our hearts until we believe it.
I’ve heard it said in many different ways from “That’s not my strength”
to “I could never do that” to “I just can’t do that”. Media tells us our homes need to be bigger
and cleaner and decorated differently and that we must raise our children one
way and if we don’t do it this way as a mother than we aren’t good enough! Look how many people compare themselves to
the things they find on Pinterest or Facebook!
It’s crazy! People believe these
things as reality. We catch ourselves
comparing ourselves, comparing our children, comparing our lives. We find others comparing our choices, our
children, and our lives. And soon in our
hearts we begin to believe it. Even if we are talented at something or have a
skill or a passion for it often we squash it to avoid offending others or
seeming prideful.
But let’s turn off the noise for a second! You are good enough! You are His!
He sent his only son to earth to die on the cross for you. Let’s not forget that in all of this. You might not be the best public speaker or
you might not see yourself as an event organizer or a super strong prayer
warrior but God has a plan for you; to use you for His glory. Sometimes we are called to do things we
aren’t comfortable with but if we are called by God, who are we to argue? My favorite illustration of this is Beth
Moore’s story about brushing a man’s hair in an airport.
By saying we aren’t good enough or we don’t have the skill
or the ability we are in truth doubting God.
Look through your bible and see how many times God calls the imperfect
and the sinners and the weak to accomplish great things. We serve an amazing God who raises the dead,
heals the sick, allows the blind to see, and the deaf to hear. Yet we doubt him.
Each of us was made by God – not just slapped together but
fearfully and wonderfully made. We are
more than good enough. Excuse covered.
Excuse #5: Please not me! (Not really a typical excuse but
not a good answer either!)
Exodus 4:13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”
Many times I hear people talk about not wanting to
facilitate or plan or take on a leadership role. They feel they are better at just showing up
and showing support. While support is a
good thing it does take boots on the ground to get anything to happen. But with this excuse we always feel there
will be someone else to pick up the task, that God should just go tap someone
else on the shoulder and ask him or her to do it. That isn’t the way it works. God has a purpose for each of us and calls
us to serve Him. But something that I
did find noteworthy hear in Exodus was God’s response to Moses. He listened to him. He didn’t completely ignore him or blow him
off but rather he gave him a path the Moses could walk and still serve
God. How many times has God done this in
my life? Swooped in at the last minute
when I thought I was up against the impossible and made it all seem
doable. I still might not have liked the
path but at least – like Moses- I felt I was able to accomplish it and I wasn’t
alone. God was with me. What an amazing and loving God we serve.
Excuse covered by God’s grace!
Over and over again in the bible God tells us to listen and
obey. One of my favorite versus that
highlights this is found in Luke 11:28 which reads, He replied, “Blessed rather
are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” We can make all the excuses in the world and
come with all the logical and worldly reason why our way or our plan is better
than His but in the end all they are, are excuses. We all seem to have them and they all stink.
Now, please don’t read this entire post wrong and think I believe
everyone should jump at every opportunity that knocks on their door. That is not what I am saying! Listen for
God. Answer His call. How do you know it’s Him? That is a topic for a whole different
discussion J
However, when you do hear him and your mind starts to race
and your first instinct is to make a million on one excuses like Moses,
remember it all goes back to that children’s worship song we all know and love
– Trust and Obey
Trust
and obey,
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
