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No Excuses

Last week, my dear hubby shared from a passage in Proverbs 26:13-17. This passage reflects a growing theme in our household these days - Do not be lazy. No excuses!
A few weeks ago, I learned of a college student named Kyle Maynard. After hearing his story, I quickly purchased his autobiography and it's been truly inspiring ("No Excuses", by Kyle Maynard). He was born without limbs in his arms and legs. He was the firstborn child to his parents. Two amazing things about this man's life challenged me:

1) He is one of the best wrestlers in the state of Georgia (among high school and college students)
2) His parents raised him as a "normal" child and allowed him to struggle to figure out how to use his body to do "normal activities".
For both Kyle and his parents, they lived a life of "no excuses."

There are two quotes I want to share:
"Even though I was born with much shorter limbs than the average person, I know that I was not born to be an inferior individual. I was born to succeed, not to allow physical limitations to stand in the way of my dreams."
"I know there are many people who, whether they admit it or not, view disabled people as inferior. We are 'broken' in their eyes - we are of no use, no value, and we are just running out the string on life. But I believe that we are all disabled in one way or another - including disabilities of character and personality. My disability just happens to be more visual than some."

The challenge for us is, "What kind of excuses do we make that hinders God from fulfilling His wonderful purposes in our lives?"
In Proverbs 26:13, it says, "the sluggard says, 'There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!" The wild animals on the streets were the excuses the sluggard used not to get out of his home. How ridiculous does that sound, but too often, that's exactly how we sound to God! I am truly inspired by Kyle Maynard, because despite his obvious limitations, he had absolutely no excuse to live to his fullest potential. And the great thing is that he is a fellow believer. His strength, purpose, and significance come from Jesus Christ Himself. And Kyle writes about his faith in his autobiography. So, my commitment is:
1) I will not use "children" as an excuse.
2) I will not use "being a woman" as an excuse
3) I will not use "we're too busy" as an excuse

Posted by Ted on November 3, 2005 09:52 AM