Ocassionally, my eight-year-old sister goes through one of those “middle-child days.” As the sixth of nine children, she often hears, “Oh, Grace, you’re just too young to hang out with older kids right now. Why don’t you go play with the little kids?” Now, every time we ask her to help us with something, she always replies, “Why don't you ask someone else? I'm too little, remember?” Though I sympathize with her predicament, I cannot help but think that she uses her age and position within the family to her advantage. If she wants more attention, she needs only to put on that sweet, supposedly innocent, baby face, and she becomes the “poor little baby that we love so much.” However, if she doesn't want to help with chores, she just says, "But I'm too little to do that...it's too hard. Ask one of the big kids.” What a pity. We all learn the age-old sin of making excuses at an early age!
How many times a month, a week, a day, a minute, do we make excuses to God? How often do we fail to complete (or begin) a task and use the excuse of fear or incapability? I know that it would take more than ten fingers to count the number of times that I do that in a week! However, God does not want our excuses. He wants us just as we are. He designed us for specific tasks, and, though we may think that those tasks are either beneath us, too difficult, or a waste of time, they are still what we are called to do. In John 15:16, Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” We don't get to pick and choose our callings. God designs us for them. Our free will determines whether or not we obey that calling immediately or put it off as a last resort. Nevertheless, it's still our calling, and we should not make excuses for ourselves.
In Isaiah 6:8, God asks, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah, conscious of his weaknesses, yet knowing that God had called him to work, answered, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah had no idea what his future held for him, and yet he stepped out of his comfort-zone and followed his calling. He made no excuses. He just said, “Okay, this is what I'm supposed to do, so I'll do it. Send me, God! I will go for you!” If only we could stop making excuses and place that same kind of faith in God's plan for us; no more excuses for the tasks that seem daunting or tedious, just surrendering our lives to God's Will. I believe that the hymn "Hark the Voice of Jesus Calling" says it best:
Hark, the voice of Jesus calling, “Who will go and work today?
Fields are white and harvests waiting, who will bear the sheaves away?”
Loud and long the Master calls you; rich reward He offers free.
Who will answer, gladly saying, “Here am I. Send me, send me!”
If you cannot speak like angels, if you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus; you can say He died for all.
If you cannot rouse the wicked with the judgment’s dread alarms,
You can lead the little children to the Saviors waiting arms.
If you cannot be a watchman, standing high on Zion’s wall,
Pointing out the path to heaven, offering life and peace to all,
With your prayers and with your bounties you can do what God demands;
You can be like faithful Aaron, holding up the prophet’s hands.
Let none hear you idly saying, “There is nothing I can do,”
While the multitudes are dying and the Master calls for you.
Take the task He gives you gladly; let His work your pleasure be.
Answer quickly when He calls you, “Here am I. Send me, send me!” (Daniel March)
Will you be the next Isaiah and quit making excuses for the plans that God has made for you? What would happen if you did? Think of the thousands of lives that you could bring to Christ, or even just one life, quite possibly the one life that God has been waiting to hold. Our great commission is to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19). Sometimes that will involve sacrifice. By making excuses, we sell ourselves short, and fail to do as Christ commands us.
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