Do you need a solution or two?
My husband and I sure do! It’s been no secret that the past few years have been very challenging ones for us. We’ve experienced an unrelenting assault of personal losses, health problems, and financial struggles,
God has faithfully brought (and is bringing) us through them all. BUT . . . as we sat on New Year’s Eve, reflecting on the past year, we realized that we have unwittingly fallen into a very dangerous habit.
We have become victims of the bottomless pit of excuses.
We’re way too sophisticated (yeah, right!) to just throw out lame excuses for not doing what needs to be done. OUR excuses are based on TRUTH (well a measure of truth, at least). They aren’t just the run of the mill, how-can-I-get-out-of-this excuses. We like to think of them as solid, viable excuses. Anybody could see that they make sense.
The problem is—true or not—they keep us stuck and create frustration and hopelessness, two things nobody needs in their life. They actually set a downward spiral in motion. They trap us.
OUR PERSONAL EXCUSES
Here are a few of OUR current “favorites” right now. Do any of these sound familiar?
FACT: We need to lose weight . . .
BUT . . . with my really bad knee and my husband’s painful hip and weakened heart, we can’t go on those long, exhilarating walks we used to enjoy. I can’t do the daily exercise program that I used to up my sluggish metabolism. Exercise actually hurts! IT’S ALL TRUE!
FACT: We felt better when we’re eating a more plant-based diet . . .
BUT . . life is crazy. We don’t have the time or money to do all the cooking that’s necessary to maintain that diet. It’s much easier and quicker to throw some frozen salt-laden, calorie popping, cousin-of-fast-food into the microwave or go grab a pizza or some other greasy take-out food. IT’S TRUE!
FACT: I need to look into what can be done to repair my knee.
BUT . . . it never seems to be the right time. We’ve got too much going. We shouldn’t spend the money right now. The doctor will probably want me to lose weight before they would do knee surgery. There’s no point to going in now. IT’S PROBABLY TRUE!
FACT: We have a growing number of repair and maintenance jobs that need to be done around the house. BUT . . . We tell ourselves we can’t afford to hire someone to do them and we’re tired or in too much pain to do them ourselves. IT MAY BE TRUE.
AT TIMES IT’S ALL TRUE . . . BUT . . .
Yep, true, true, true. It’s all true. BUT . . . is it the whole truth? Are we doomed to continue on this downward spiral because somehow we’ve been dealt a bad hand?
Nope! Nor are you.
The problem is, when we allow ourselves to own an excuse, we never find a way past the challenge we are facing and we become helpless victims. Our brain doesn’t waste any more time looking for a solution when we’ve closed the conversation with a but . . . and an excuse.
Maybe we really can’t solve those issues in the way we always would have before, but that doesn’t mean that the excuses have to win. Every time we find ourselves saying “I can’t” we need to counter it with “OK, but what CAN I do to move toward my goal?”
Maybe I can’t walk three miles . . . but could I walk to the end of the block? Could I do that three times throughout the day? It’s a start.
Maybe we don’t have the time or energy every night to cook those good meals that we used to enjoy . . . but could we spend a Saturday together, with the music rocking, pre-cutting vegetables or making a few big recipes that we could divide up and put in the freezer for the “too busy to cook” nights? Could we find some new quick-to-fix recipes or some less expensive options?
If we put a little mental energy behind dealing with the problem in a new way, who knows what solution(s) we could find.
Throughout history, some of the biggest innovations and greatest successes came because someone said. “I can’t do it that way, that won’t work . . .but what CAN I try?
WHAT IF YOU CAN’T SEE ANOTHER WAY?
Sometimes it’s hard to see beyond our long-held paradigm, but, even then, we don’t have to let our excuses paralyze us. That’s when we need to get others involved. Ask a friend if they have any ideas. Listen with an open mind. Consider giving their suggestions a try.
Pray about your stuckness. Ask God to show you other options that you’re not currently able to see. We can count on his promises: Nothing is too hard for Him—Jeremiah 32:27, He will generously give wisdom to all who ask—James 1:5, No word from God will ever fail—Luke 1:37, If we acknowledge him, he will direct our path—Proverbs 3:6 and SO many more.
As of right this minute, WE DECLARE THIS to be THE YEAR OF THE SOLUTION!
Will you join us?
“But now, this is what the LORD says . . . .Forget the things that happened in the past. Do not keep thinking about them. I am about to do something new. It is beginning to happen even now. Don’t you see it coming? I am going to make a way for you to go through the desert. I will make streams of water in the dry and empty land.” Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)
TODAY’S CHAT: What excuses are getting in the way of reaching your goals and solving your problems? Share them below, and if you think of it, come back and tell us what the solution ends up being for you.
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