Excuses, excuses, so many excuses!!!

Of late, I have become profoundly aware of the endless lists of excuses people have for not doing things--my dog needed his medicine, my ear hurts, I was tired, my car needed gas, I did not want to drive in traffic, etc. It seems if there is a reason for missing an event or get-together, people have an endless list of excuses lined up in their head ready to use as a band-aid to cover their lack of obedience.

I, too, used to also have a list of reasons why I could not attend an event--I was nauseas, I had a bad migraine, I was tired, etc. Since I am almost have these symptoms, it usually is the truth. However, as I would often use these excuses, one thing became abundantly clear--I often would allow myself to miss events even when I was not feeling terribly sick. It became a bad habit. I thought to myself, "I have a chronic illness, I have excuses and I have a right to miss events or activities."

Sometime in the last few years, I decided I was done with excuses. If I committed to attend an event, I would attend the event! I did not let my mind ponder all the energy it might take or possibly how sick I might become from expending too much energy. No. I stopped allowing myself to think and just started doing. I would always ask God for strength to get me through things and would always reminder myself I could rest when I got home from the event.

Did things always go well? Of course not! Several times I was truly sick and had to cut short the event to make an urgent trip to the emergency department. But even at that, it is a comfort to know that I had tried with all my strength to attend the program. This has been a tremendous blessing! So many times, I had wanted to stay home, but I forced myself to leave the comforts of my bed. And God has often rewarded me with abundant blessings...even trips to the emergency department are often sprinkled with incredible opportunities to pray for people and strengthen people's faith. So the next time you want to use an excuse to not attend a function, think about the blessings God might not be able to bestow upon you because you decided to stay home.