3 Reasons for excuses

Garth Heckman

The David Alliance

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com 

 

 

Matthew 25 the parable of the talents

 

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

This servant makes up an excuse… he convinces himself that the master is a mean spirited man.

Funny, in the greek this term actually means he is stubborn and expecting with out remorse. HE EXPECTS RESULTS.

BUT IF YOUR GOD and you are in charge of the return… shouldn’t you be stubborn and expecting results without remorse? Anyway… 

You know when you tell a good story you should cover all the options… like one invested  and made money, one invested a little and made money… and one invested very little and broke even… but not in this story - because God is showing us a very important point - no one just simply breaks even when they use whatever they have NO MATTER HOW SMALL IT IS for God.

Why do you think this dude makes this excuse? 

1. Self-Protection (Protecting Ego/Self-Esteem): This is perhaps the most fundamental reason. Excuses serve as a defense mechanism to shield our ego and self-esteem from perceived threats like anxiety, shame, guilt, criticism, or blame. By shifting responsibility to external factors or downplaying the situation, we protect our self-image. For example, blaming a failed test on "an unfair test" rather than "lack of preparation" makes us feel less incompetent. This often falls under the umbrella of "self-handicapping," where we create obstacles to performance to have an excuse ready if we fail.
2. Fear (of Failure, Rejection, Judgment): The fear of not succeeding, being rejected, or being judged by others can be a powerful motivator for making excuses. If we don't try, we can't fail. Excuses allow us to avoid situations where we might experience these uncomfortable emotions. For instance, someone might say they're "too busy" to pursue a dream job, when the underlying fear is of rejection or not being good enough.

The kid in gym class who always has an excuse to not wrestle, run or compete…

3. Avoiding Responsibility and Accountability: Excuses help us escape the consequences of our actions or inaction. If something goes wrong, an excuse can deflect blame and prevent us from having to "make it right." This can be a conscious or subconscious attempt to avoid personal responsibility and the discomfort that comes with it.

But surprise surprise… God will hold us accountable even if we don’t play the game. You don’t want to use your gifts for God? He will still call you on it. 

Or maybe its just 

4. Lack of Motivation or Perceived Value: Sometimes, people make excuses because they genuinely don't see the value in a task, or they associate pain or difficulty with it. If the perceived effort outweighs the perceived reward, or if a task conflicts with our true priorities, our mind will find reasons (excuses) to avoid it. This can often manifest as procrastination.