Unlocked: From Excuses

Written by Tammy Sabourin

I remember the first time I was asked to speak at a women’s retreat. The request came via a phone call three months after my husband and I had graduated from seminary. At first, I felt it to be an honor, as bringing God’s Word should be. I joyfully accepted. No sooner had I hung up the phone, when the joy I was feeling morphed into something else: Who was I to lead? I lack the experience!  Lord, you know I’m not a great speaker! There’s not enough time to prepare! I could feel my heart locking up with a million excuses.   

An excuse is defined as “a reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense.” The Bible is filled with examples of regular people who were asked to lead in God’s Name who came up with excuses. Moses was a classic excuse-maker:  

Exodus 3:11 says, “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?’” We also read in Exodus 4:10 that he said,“Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

Like me, Moses came up with excuses based on earthly limitations, which created an unwillingness to proceed and lead.  We are often unwilling to go where we have never gone, unwilling to step out of our comfort zone and try something new or unwilling to take a leap of faith. For when we do, we are surrendering our control of what the outcome might be. Excuses limit our leadership potential both personally and in ministry.

Matthew 22:2-3 says, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.”

When we create excuses in our leadership, we may in fact be missing a feast prepared for us by the Lord.   

Moses may not have been the greatest speaker, but his legacy is that he was effective because he unlocked his heart from excuses and allowed God to use him. I, too, chose to unlock my heart from excuses with God’s help and had a beautiful time in the Scriptures at the women’s retreat that I will forever cherish. What a spiritual feast I would have missed out on!

As leaders in partnership with The Almighty, let’s not permit Satan to fill us with excuses when God created us as His crowning achievement to “go and do” by HIS power.

Have you been making excuses that have locked-up your leadership potential?