No Excuses

"The sluggard says, 'There is a lion outside!' or 'I will be murdered in the streets!'" (Prov. 22:13, NIV).

I find this proverb interesting. The point appears to be that a lazy person always has an excuse. They can always give you an explanation for why they can't get something done, even if when the explanation takes longer to deliver (and dream up) than task would have taken to complete.

It should cause us to think about the ways in which we excuse ourselves. Maybe this sluggard was telling the truth, and  lion did roam the streets. But why doesn't he get his hunting gear and take care of that problem? Maybe his streets are filled with dangerous criminals. But why doesn't he team up with his neighbors and make it a safer place.

Maybe all the excuses we have are true. Maybe we missed our deadline, because we were sick. Or maybe we missed it because the weeks leading up to the deadline were filled with idle play and fruitless business.

I want to get to a place in my life where I no longer need to make excuses. I realize that every plan I make will not come to fruition. But it's better to be active than reactive. It is better to do something and fail, than do nothing. It's time to stop fearing the lions, which may or may not exist, and start fearing the missed opportunities. Life to short for excuses.