We can generally find an excuse for everything if we look hard enough.  The problem with excuses are that they prevent us from becoming all that God intends for us to be.  Someone has said, “It pays to go out on a limb; that is where the fruit is.”  But many times people are afraid to move forward for fear they will fail or because they are unmotivated to make self-sacrifices.

The dictionary defines a sluggard as a habitually lazy or idle person.   The Bible says, “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside!’ or ‘I will be murdered in the streets!’” (Proverbs 22:13).  He sits in his house because he is afraid of what might happen to him if he goes outside.  But by refusing to take a risk he does nothing of importance at all.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.”  Planting and reaping were done by hand in biblical times.  Even a little wind could cause the seed to be blown away and wasted.  Rain at harvest time could cause the crops to mildew and spoil.  But the problem is that there may never be a perfect time to plant or to harvest.  If a farmer always worries about what might happen he won’t do anything at all.

Some people would really like to mend a relationship but they are afraid of how the other person might react.  Others would really like to get out of debt, but they are don’t want to give up their present lifestyle.  Some people would really like to start a new career, but they are held back by their present success.

Wayne Gretzky, the great hockey player, once said, “I have missed 100% of the shots I have never taken.”  Likewise, we can all safely say that we have not accomplished anything we did not start to do.

On the other hand, Jesus said that we should count the cost before we set out to do something.  I think that he is warning us not to plunge into everything that comes into our heads.  The Bible says that Satan can appear as “an angel of light.”  It warns us to “test the spirits” in order to decide which impressions are from God and which are from our own selfish desires.

For example, a mother of young children who returns to a career or to school may feel like she is aggressively using her gifts and talents, but she may instead be shirking the greatest task God has given her to do.  Or someone who plunges into a business deal because it is too good to pass up may actually be risking his family’s finances for years to come.

Since selfish priorities often appear the most glamorous, we need help to discover what really matters in life.  That source of help is the Bible, along with the discernment and encouragement that comes from worshipping God and studying his Word together.

Many people really want to seek God and return to church, but something always seems to be in the way.  The problem is that there will always be excuses – too many other things to do, imperfect churches, unfamiliar places, the fear of not being accepted – but that’s all they really are, just excuses.  In our spiritual walk, as well as in the rest of life, we must either move forward or spend the rest of our lives wondering about what might have been.