Jana and I have a friend who uses that excuse all the time. In fact, it’s become a running joke. And really, kudos to her for not making something up that actually sounds factual. She uses “I have to wash my hair” as her way of using humor to cover up what she is actually saying. “No, I don’t want to, so I won’t.”
Excuses are ways to get out of doing things. In spite of what we tell ourselves, we don't just use excuses to soften the blow of saying "no" to others, we use them to rationalize not doing things we know we should.
God clearly tells us that there’s no excuse for not using our spiritual gifts. In the parable of talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus tells of a master who entrusts his servants with various gifts. The master leaves on a trip and returns with praise for the servants who have done something with their gifts and harsh criticism for the one who has done nothing. In fact, the master takes the gift away and throws the man out.
Here is a more modern version of the parable done in Legos (another example of someone recognizing that their unique passion can be used for God's purposes)
So, make a list of your excuses. Anything that gets in the way of you using your gifts. (I'm too embarassed to, I don't have enough time, There are other people who would do a better job, No one else is either....) You get the idea. Make a big, long list.
No, really. Make a list right now. (You're not going to make some sorry excuse and skip this part, are you?)
It's kind of ironic that you still haven't made a list. Since you clearly have many excuses, take a moment to reflect on them. If you recognize them for what they are, they have far less power over you.
Did you make your list or another excuse?
Now, you can you can get rid of them for once an for all. If you made a list on paper, you could burn them or flush them. If your list was done on the computer or in your head, try one of these:
Flush my excuses
Burn my excuses
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