Excuses.

Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Excuses. This morning God has me thinking about the similarities and differences between my relationship with my parents growing up and my relationship with Him now. I’ll admit what may not come as a surprise to most of you: I wasn’t always the easiest child to raise. Looking back I realize my parents must have had to be really creative to deal with me at times. And trust me – I never got a whooping that I didn’t deserve, and I probably should have gotten a few more.
But when I was told to do something (clean my room, do my chores, etc.) I did them as I began to mature. There were good reasons, too. By the time I began to mature and grow up a little I had learned that when my parents told me to do something it was in my best interest to do it. Not only could I avoid the negative consequences of not doing it, but I also began to realize that when they told me to do something they were doing so because it was really best for me.
When they were telling me to clean my room, they were teaching me the importance of responsibility and cleanliness. When they were telling me to do my chores, they were teaching me the honor of hard work and taking care of the house. And in it all, they were teaching me that in life, we answer to people. That will never change. The quicker we learn to accept that the happier and more successful we will be.
But how often would I try to make excuses for not doing what they said. I was a very imaginative child, with a vividly creative mind. I could come up with some amazing excuses, believe me. But every time, they saw right through them.
And then there’s God. When He says things like, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things that I’ve commanded you, and I’ll be with you always, even until the end of the age”… And then there’s “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some are, but all the more as you see the day approaching.”
He’s told us so many things, and every single one of them matters. When He commands us to do things like gather together with other believers as often as we have the opportunity, He is doing so because we need that, and He knows that. Christians need each other – whether you want to admit it or not.
But then come our excuses. We are creative, aren’t we? We have some really good reasons for not going to church, or not sharing the Gospel, or not spending time with Him…don’t we? But the truth is – they aren’t good enough, are they…? And if my parents could see through my own excuses, surely God can see through ours.
Many of you reading this would have had a stroke if you had tried to give your parents an excuse for not obeying something they told you do to. That’s old school, and you knew better. Yet in our lives we do that so often with the God that loves us immensely more than even our parents do. So the simple question this morning is this: if it wasn’t acceptable for our earthly parents, why do we think it’s acceptable for our Heavenly Father?



That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake

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