Excuses, Excuses – Proverbs in Practice

“That’s just an excuse,” we former procrastinators say of others.  But do we recognize when we use excuses ourselves especially when we think risk is involved?

“The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside!  I shall be killed in the streets.”  Proverbs 22:13

“The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road!  There is a lion in the streets!”  Proverbs 26:13

We need to exercise prudence.  We need to be wise about taking chances that are foolish.  But the sluggard is making an excuse.   We know that by looking at the likelihood of a lion in the street.  A lion is not likely to be inside a walled city.  It could be, but it’s a low probability.  And even if there were a lion in the street, how likely would it be to attack you?

Sometimes we’re tempted to make excuses to avoid doing what needs doing.  We latch onto something we think we can use to delay or weasel our way out.  Others are not fooled; laziness is usually obvious.

“It’s supposed to snow. Who knows how bad it will get?”

“I can’t do that; I may be needed somewhere else.”

“Why set up a swing set? The kids could only use it a couple of years.”

“We eat on paper plates all the time.  Dishes have to be washed.”

“Eating healthy is too expensive.”

“Exercise is for body builders.”

“Why hang pictures?  We won’t live here long.”

“I haven’t received all responses so I can’t decide.”

“I don’t have time for …. “ (fill in the blank)

Some excuses indicate laziness even when there’s little cost involved like the examples above.  Other excuses stem from fear that inclines us to avoid effort.

“I just don’t know how that would turn out, so I’m reluctant to participate.”

“If I declutter, I know I’ll get rid of something I wish I’d kept.”

“I don’t know about giving them money.  They might waste it.”

“If I loan them my car, it might be damaged.”

We paralyze ourselves being afraid to do something because of what might happen.  Take a trip, try a new haircut, taste a foreign dish?  Oh, no!

There’s risk with any investment.  Money may not grow, counsel you share may not be acted upon, the project you devote time to may fail.  Not knowing the future makes it easy for us to excuse ourselves from action. God holds the future. His Holy Spirit provides guidance. Even He prompts us to do things that are uncomfortable.

What excuse do you tend to use to avoid doing something?  What fear is behind that?