No Excuses — Just Do It!
In Exodus we hear about all the excuses Moses had when God asked him to step up and deliver His people from the grip of the Egyptians. Those excuses were: “I’m not good enough. I don’t have all the answers. People won’t believe me. I’m a terrible public speaker. I’m not qualified.”
Are those the same excuses that we use? I’ll admit it! I’ve used excuses when I lacked confidence in myself. Thankfully, Moses got over his “excuses” and became a man of remarkable courage, obedience, and strength of character. He fulfilled his mission faithfully. And, God works with each of us right where we are and takes us to where He wants us to be. But, we must be willing to leave behind excuses.
It’s no secret that I’m a reality show junkie. I particularly enjoy American Ninja Warrior (ANW) where die-hard athletes push themselves to the limits in crazy obstacle courses and apparatuses. They compete for the $1 million grand prize.
One of the reasons I like ANW is because of the background and insurmountable difficulties of some of the athletes who compete. A couple of weeks ago, Gary Weiland, an amputee, a full-time firefighter, part time Ninja Warrior, made it to the point in the course that he could go on to be pitted against another player to make the semi-finals.
On the sidelines, his son carried a sign that said “My dad is an amputee. What superpower does yours have?” Gary said he’s just happy to be on the show to spread his message of adapting and overcoming. “I want people to see what I’m doing, but really feel something inside of themselves that motivates them, encourages them and inspires them to go out and challenge themselves in ways they never thought that they could.”
Gary made it to the match-up to make it to the semi-finals. He said, “This guy is 26 and he is in the Army. I’m 43 and on one leg. My technique is different from his, and he is stud. It is a race of whoever gets through it faster, and if someone falls, the other person must complete that obstacle in order to win.”
A few seconds later, Weiland’s technique worked. His competitor fell and Gary completed the flying shelves obstacle and advanced to the semifinals. That gave him the opportunity to compete for a spot in the ANW finals in Las Vegas later this year.
Gary has taken his “mess” and made it a message of perseverance, faith, and determination. His experiences and perspective are perfect examples of how to turn tragedy into opportunity. It sure motivates me to be willing to adapt and overcome.
I don’t want to have excuses for not giving everything I’ve got to living my best life. I plan to continue to be God’s Ninja Warrior — taking on life’s obstacles, challenges, and pressures with a vengeance. I refuse to give up until I’m taken up.
There is a hyphen in between the date of birth and the date of death on gravestones. I want that hyphen to represent living my life to the fullest, never accepting quitting, running my race with gusto to the finish line.
What does your hyphen represent? With God, limits are all off! I don’t think “excuse” is in His vocabulary. Why should it be in ours?