Proverbs 22:13; “The sluggard says, There is a lion outside.” or, “I will be murdered in the streets.” (NIV)
We all have defining moments in our life. I feel blessed to have many that have taken me to where I am today. All throughout our life God places certain people in our life and when listened to, will help take us to another level.
This was the case for me and my college basketball coach. My coach was stern, disciplined, and a very hard worker. I was happy go lucky, undisciplined and worked hard only when I liked what I was doing. Next to my mom and dad, I learned more about productive effort from my college coach than anyone else in my life.
At the beginning of my junior year of basketball I was projected to make all conference but got off to a very rough start. This was also my third year of pharmacy school and pharmacy school was becoming quite challenging. I found myself drained of energy most of the time because I was doing nothing but playing basketball and studying for school.
Early in the basketball season I could tell the coach was beginning to lose confidence in me as my game was beginning to digress. So I thought I had better meet with the coach and let him know why.
We met and I told him I knew my game was not where it should have been but it would soon get better because I was going through a very difficult quarter in pharmacy school and the quarter was about to end.
He looked at me and said; “Jay, excuses are like our hind ends (actually used a different word for hind end), we all have them and they all stink” and then he walked out of the room.
Man was I pissed off.
Today I am so glad my coach said that to me because excuses truly do stink and will do nothing but get in the way of the attainment of our dreams and goals. I’ve referenced that moment with my coach many times over the years when I am struggling with a situation where I have more excuses than solutions.
I’ve worked with people in recovery as well as the business and basketball world for years and the people that work hard and put forth a quality effort that equates into succees very seldom waste time on excuses.
I know people who’ve been horribly abused as children and could only find solace thru drinking and drugging and eventually became alcoholics and/or drug addicts because of their inability to handle the pain of the past without medicating it. Some of these people have an epiphany and get sober and stay sober while others don’t. The primary reason (next to finding God) some are able to stay sober is they were able to let go of their past and quit using their past as an excuse everytime things didn’t go their way or obstacles were thrown in their path.
I can remember when I first got sober. I was trying to blame everything and everybody for the mess I was in (no money, facing jail time, and the loss of my professional license). Then my sponsor said to me one day as I was “going off” about all the people who had screwed me and left me in this terrible state; he said “Jay, until you let go of the disappointments of the past there will be no future for you” and then he followed that up with the question; “whose decision was it for you to drink and drug?”
Excuses are like our hind ends, they really do stink. Letting go of the past as well as the excuses created in the past is vital in being able to put forth productive effort in the attainment of our goals and dreams.
As Solomon so eloquently states in the Proverb above, excuses turn into frightening lions and we turn into sluggards. Do you suppose Satan is the gatekeeper of excuses?
Take a moment to write down all of the excuses that are paralyzing your efforts today and make a commitment to turn these excuses over to God daily for 90 days. See who has the last word…I’ve got a feeling Satan will become one ticked off lion and you will become a happier more productive person.
P.E.A.C.E.
Jay@EagleLaunch.com
