It is said that we are made up of mind, body, and soul. The mind is where we store and use our intellectual abilities. We try to determine the rights and wrongs of our daily lives. Last century a guy named Freud came up with an explanation of why people act and react the way that they do. Psychologists are always trying to explain God’s work. The simplest way to look at this is we all have things floating around in our brains that Freud called the “Id”, Ego”, and ‘Superego.” The “Id” is the primitive and instinctual part of the brain that helps us not forget to breathe, eat, and reproduces as a species. The “Ego” portion allows us to connect to the reality around us, what we think about ourselves, and to control what we want others to think about us. Our “ego” when controlled mediates between the unrealistic thoughts and the world. Finally, the “Superego” is that entered voice that communicates regularly within us. The “superego” is our base of ethics, morality self-control, and stabilizing factors to keep a check on our reality. Our body is made up of biological systems that allow us to breathe, digest food, and make sure the correct amount of blood flows with the correct amount of oxygen. Much of the body is operated by the automatic systems the “Id” oversees. The soul is usually referred to last because we probably understand it the least. The “soul” is referred to as the “Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Conscientious, and Spirit. It would be easy to confuse the “Superego” and the “Soul” in that both seem to have our best interest at heart. With this knowledge, it would seem that we would have no reason to hide from our responsibilities and realities. With all that God has given us, we should never be less than creditable and true.
In the very first Book of the Bible, we are told that God created all things and pronounced each creation as being “Good.” Genesis 1:1states, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Later in the first Book “God saw that it was good.” Based on these simple statements everyone should know that God’s efforts are always perfect in every way, for God does not make any mistakes. To reinforce these ideas Genesis 2:7 states, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” Luke 9;57-62 reminds us that we face a huge predicament of how reasonable excuses are challenged by Jesus for their superficial nature because they mask true heart desire. The followers in Luke 9 were blinded by anxiety, self-doubt, and lack of understanding. If a person were to stop and consider our daily lives, we would see that we suffer from the same problems as those that lived with Jesus. Excuses started early in the Bible. In Genesis 3:12 Adam blamed “that woman”, Eve for tempting him with the apple. Eve blamed the serpent for deceiving her and “making her eat” the apple. In Exodus Aaron blamed his followers for the golden calf, Saul blamed Samuel for the unlawful actions in First Samuel, and the excuse-making has not slowed down since. We as humans have been making excuses since the beginning. There is something unique about us that allows us to divert responsibility and blame circumstances on others for our shortcomings. Excuses that shift accountability or fault another is another description for telling a lie. We all have a desire to protect our self-value, boost our self-esteem, and make ourselves appear in the best light possible. The psychologist will suggest that this is a human trait to protect us from anxiety. But as with many of these defenses the problem we hide from usually become worst and then more lies or excuses become necessary. The excuses tend to act like a poison that is not detectable until it has caused the damage, either intended or by accident.
We make excuses when we are caught in unbecoming circumstances, we make excuses when we are found involved in embarrassing moments, we make excuses when we are operating out of our ability level, and making excuses sometimes mistakenly buys us time to come up with new excuses. My personal favorite is making promises or obligations and then failing to properly perform. Rather than just admitting that I forgot or had other obligations to interfere with, it is much easier to come up with some lame excuse.
We are reminded in John 8:32 that the truth will set you free. The Bible is full of examples where we are instructed to tell the truth and not make excuses. Going back to the Old Testament in the Sixth/Seventh century Jeremiah in a conversation with God is told to listen to what is being said and not to make excuses. Jeremiah 1:4-10 reads, “Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.’ But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Then much later Paul is having problems with the people of Colossae not following the rules set for the church and making excuses for their behavior. In Colossians 3:9 Paul begs the Colossians to quit making excuses and to start living in such a way to be like Christ. Colossian 3:9 reads, “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him..”
Ron Edmondson’s article titled “7 Excuses for Nor Doing What God Has Called Us to Do” (December 12, 2018) lists some excuses for not following God’s plans. They are simply, “I Can’t”, “I don’t have time,” “I am alone,” “I am afraid,” “I can’t afford it,” “I don’t know how,” I don’t know what to say,” and I have added one that I sometimes see with friends, families, and associates. This one covers all the others and expands on the negative position, “I won’t.” We all need to remember that God knows all the questions and all the answers and everything there is to know about us then, now, and in the future. So, it would be good advice, to tell the truth, and give up on the excuses.