Five Minute Friday: Excuses! Excuses! Excuses!

Every Friday, writer and author Kate Motaung emails a one-word prompt to those who’ve subscribed to receive it. We are to write about that word for five minutes (and only five) and then post our unedited draft on our blog or in the Facebook group. I’ve been receiving the prompts for several months now, but am just now (5-23-2021) committing to writing and posting each Friday.

This is a HUGE step for me. It takes a lot of courage to post an unedited version since I am prone to edit, edit, edit--and then often decide my work still isn't good enough to post. Also, I make excuses for not posting regularly. But I pray that committing to do this small, very doable assignment EVERY Friday, will help me learn to write “on command,” to write freely, and to write (and post!) faithfully. If you’d like to learn alongside me, visit Kate’s site (www.fiveminutefriday.com) and sign up! 

(I'm aware that I should have posted this on Friday instead of Sunday. But I'm refusing to let technical issues keep me from fulfilling my commitment, even though I'm embarrassed about being late.)

If I’d written (on a Post-it note) every excuse I’ve ever made, I could have wallpapered houses, even castles, by now. Perhaps I should start doing that right now. Maybe seeing them written all over the place would show me the extent of this terrible habit I have. Since I don’t write them down, I don’t realize how often I make excuses—regarding little things, as well as BIG things. For example, I say I don’t have time to participate in Five Minute Fridays. Really????? I don’t have five minutes? I can’t think of anything to say about the common word that is the prompt for the day? I don’t have time to post it? Really? What kind of excuses (uh, lies) am I using to cover more serious problems, like fear and procrastination?

A Demonstrated Love

Through the years, I’ve happily taken hundreds (perhaps thousands) of photos of birds of all sizes and species in their natural habitats. Even so, I’m not as “smitten” with birds as birders are. For example, avid bird watchers have extensive knowledge of birds and can identify them by sight and/or by sound—and can even mimic their vocalizations.

Bluebird in my neighbor's yard

But Mr. Al Larson, whom I’d very much like to meet, takes his love of birds, particularly bluebirds, a giant step beyond that of avid birders and photographers. He DOES something to help the birds survive and thrive! In the video* I watched on YouTube, Mr. Larson, age 97, was still building nesting houses for the bluebirds. At the time the video was made, he’d built and placed over 350 nest boxes, many of which he continues to monitor. He estimates he's helped over 40,000 nestlings. Thus, he’s affectionately and widely known as “The Birdman of Idaho.”

As I watched the video again and again, I realized that many of us who profess to “love” birds actually do very little to help them. Mr. Larson, on the other hand, demonstrates his love for them by quietly and faithfully taking actions to benefit them. 

As I thought about that, I remembered that the Bible says that when we love someone, we are to do more than just talk about how much we love them. Like Mr. Larson, we are to do something that demonstrates our love. That's what God did when He sent His Son to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. You see, we’re all sinners, even the best of us, and no matter how good we try to be, we can never, by our own efforts, be good enough to be invited into the presence of the Holy God. Thankfully, God saw our plight and then demonstrated His great love for us by making a way for us to live in His presence for all eternity. God sent Jesus, His Beloved Son, to earth to die in our place, to undergo the punishment (death) we deserved. Once we accept God’s gracious gift (Jesus’ payment of our sin debt), then God not only forgives our sins but He also adopts us into His family! As His holy and deeply-loved children, we get to love Him and enjoy Him—now and throughout all eternity.

Amazingly, God did all this for us even when we weren’t seeking for Him any more than the bluebirds are seeking for Mr. Larson. But God, like Mr. Larson, looked through the lens of love and found a way to save us. Oh, how grateful we should be!

Sadly, not everyone accepts God’s gracious gift. I can’t understand why they wouldn’t, can you? Why, even the bluebirds are wise enough to accept Mr. Larson’s gift. They just happily settle into the safe home he lovingly provides for them. Shouldn’t we receive God’s gift to us?

*Click here to watch the video about Mr. Larson: https://vimeo.com/350127646

Scriptures referred to in this post:

John 3:16

Romans 3:10

Romans 5:8

Romans 6:23

Romans 10:9, 20

Ephesians 1:4

Ephesians 2:8-10

1 John 1:9

1 John 3:18

1 John 4:19

Never Give Up!

Dr. Jane Goodall, now 84, recalls the wise counsel her mother gave her many years ago when going to Africa and living with the animals and writing books about them was only a dream in young Jane's heart.

"If you really want to do this thing, you will have to work really hard, take advantage of all opportunities -- but never give up." (p.18, Renew magazine, Spring 2019)

Jane took her mother's advice and, consequently, has done far more than she ever imagined.

You and I will benefit from following Jane's mother's advice and that of the apostle Paul. 

Don't Look Back--or Around!

"No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

--Jesus (Luke 9:62, NKJV)

Amy Carmichael* points out that Jesus says looking back, not turning back. (There is a huge difference, isn't there?) When we look back, we can't plow a straight furrow. In other words, we "mess up." 

The devil knows that. Thus, he continually tempts us to look back at our past sins, at our worthlessness, at our failures, at the things we want but do not have, at the things we once had but no longer have, at the "good life" others seem to be living.... 

We must NOT let our thoughts linger on those kinds of things. Instead, we must read God's Word daily and keep our minds focused on the truths it contains (rather than on the devil's lies) as we continue to move forward, fully committed to doing His will.

*author of Thou Givest...They Gather

Proclaim the Glory of God!

1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

The skies display his craftsmanship.

2 Day after day they continue to speak;

night after night they make him known.

3 They speak without a sound or word;

their voice is never heard.

4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.

It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

6 The sun rises at one end of the heavens

and follows its course to the other end.

Nothing can hide from its heat.

(Psalm 19:1-6, NLT).

After I'd read those words and reflected on them, I said to God, "May all that You've enabled me to be proclaim Your glory. May I, like the rest of Your creation, display Your workmanship. May all that I am continue to testify of You day after day and night after night. May I make You known throughout my sphere of influence.

May I, like the sun You created, "burst forth" (eagerly begin) and successfully complete the course You set for me each day. May I, like a well-trained athlete, be ready to run the race You have marked out for me...."

m

My Vow

Vows. Promises. Commitments. Most of us take them lightly, don't we? I confess that I do, though I am struggling each day to keep the promises I make and, thus, prove dependable and trustworthy.

One commitment I made over 30 years ago was to write for God. For periods of time, I'd write regularly. But sometimes I'd lapse and write every now and then--mainly when a deadline was looming. But in recent days, God has been reminding me of His call upon my life, and I've resolved to get going again with that. To do so, I'll need to stay focused on my renewed commitment because it's so easy to get distracted, so easy to let other things take up the time I could have used to write--and should have.

To help me stay focused, I've written one Bible verse (see photo) on several "sticky notes" and placed them around the house. God directed my attention to this verse today during my early morning Bible reading time, but that was made by Ethan the Ezrahite centuries ago. Since it's still a good one, I'm also vowing to use every opportunity to make known God's faithfulness, to use every opportunity to remind myself, as well as others, of not only the faithfulness of God but also of His great love and mercy, of His complete forgiveness, of His unlimited power, of His....

Will you make that same vow? Will you vow to speak often with your Lord and to speak often about Him? Will you use your mouth, your voice--your speaking voice or your writing voice or your singing voice-- to make Him known to others?

How Long???

So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?”

~Joshua 18:3, ESV

*****

Some phrases lodge in my brain and remain there for hours, days, or even years. That happened this morning as I was reading the Old Testament book of Joshua. The question above seemed to be directed to me and, thus, has lingered in my mind for hours and has prompted me to share it with you in case it’s a question you, too, need to answer.

Like God’s people in that ancient story, I’ve wasted many precious years “preparing” to do what God wants me to do. I tell myself, “One day I’ll be ready to take the big step and do great things for Him. I just need to learn a bit more and to opt out of some lesser commitments so that I will have time to obey Him.”

That's why I sensed God was asking me the same question Joshua asked. God has been extraordinarily patient with me, as He was with the Israelites, and has provided all that I could possibly need to do what He has asked me to do. Yet, I hang back, begging for more time to prepare in order to do my best for Him. I realize now that my fear has been holding me back, just as it held the Israelites back. That fear has another name, a much more serious one: unbelief. I have not fully believed that the One who assigned me a particular work will enable me to do it.

Today, I sense God is “putting it to me plain” by asking, “How much longer are you going to put off doing what I’ve asked you to do? How much longer are you going to come so close to full commitment to the work I’ve given you, yet fail to step out in faith and DO the work? How much longer are you going to let fear/unbelief rob you of the blessings I have in store for you?”

Father, forgive my lack of trust in You and my failure to carry out the work You’ve entrusted to me. I confess my sins of unbelief and disobedience and humbly ask You to forgive me and to help me to fully enter into the work and its subsequent blessings—beginning today. From this day forward, I will rely on this promise You made to Joshua when You assigned to him a daunting task: Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9, ESV).

Diligent Discipline

My frustration level soared this morning when I stepped on the scales and learned that I was one-fourth of a pound--a mere four ounces--over the weight loss goal I’d been trying for months to reach. AAAARGH!

Prior to stepping on the scales, I’d said to my husband, who knew how disappointed I’d been every morning for the past week when the scales showed I was less than one pound over the goal, “Surely, I’ll make goal this morning. If I don’t, I’m going to quit!!!”

But before he had a chance to respond, I said, “No, I won’t! I’d be foolish to give up when I’m sooo close to the goal.”

I renewed my commitment to try one more day and one more day...to get to the goal. And whenever I finally get there, I’ll say, “Wah-hoo!” and then set a new goal, one that’s five pounds lower than the current one. (Am I a glutton for punishment?)

Knowing I have a life-long tendency to abandon projects, even when finishing them is very doable, makes me even more determined to forge ahead with the disciplines required to reach my weight loss goal. I will remain diligent in regard to staying within calorie limits and getting adequate rest and exercise. As I continue to do what’s required to reach this goal, the stick-with-it mindset I’m forming will enable me to complete other projects, too.

           

A Bible verse I read this morning assures me there’s reward associated with stick-to-it-ive-ness. “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance…” (Proverbs 21:5, ESV). Since diligent discipline does pay off, I’ll wait—in hope—for success.

Note: The following morning I was actually one-fourth of a pound below my goal. I felt elated over that, of course, but the real gladness came from knowing I could discipline myself--and had--and, in the process, had been kind to my body by giving it the the food, rest, and exercise it needs to stay healthy.

When the "Extras" Aren't Extra

One evening as I talked with a friend on my cell phone, I said, “James and I are having a wonderful time, but we are sooooo tired. Traveling over a thousand miles by car, plus sleeping in a different hotel room each night and having to lug our ‘stuff’ in and out every day has about worn us out.”

That was the truth! And since we had overnighted in ten different rooms (with three more to go!), I had noticed the difference in the quality of the services provided at each location, even though all the rooms had cost about the same.

For example, one place offered freshly baked cookies to weary travelers checking in for the night. In another establishment, guests could sit in comfy chairs in the spacious lobby and listen to a local musician play soothing music on the piano.

Some of the hotels provided “high end” travel-size soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion, as well as thick, white, spa-like towels; others provided only shampoo and soap and rather dingy, almost threadbare (but, thankfully, clean!) towels.

Speaking of bathrooms…several were spacious, well-lit, and equipped with wonderful shower heads, good water flow, and grab bars. Others were quite small, especially the one in the log cabin where we stayed one night. That one was not only tiny but was also very dimly lit, due in part to the dark brown quarry tile on the floor and in the shower.

Some beds had snow-white sheets with a crisp finish, as if they’d been ironed. Other beds had well-worn bedding.

Some rooms reflected a designer’s touch, while others were furnished with what was popular years ago. For example, one bathroom had a mint green sink and toilet that had been installed in the 1950s.

Some of the hotels offered complimentary deluxe breakfasts. Others provided only cereal, pastries, juice, and coffee—or nothing.

As I reflected on the varied accommodations we’d had, I recalled this information I’d come across (and jotted down) while reading an on-line travel article before my husband and I had embarked on our two-week vacation: “Drury, a family-owned group of 120 hotels in the Midwest and South, has modest rates, and manages to give guests a lot for their money. The chain’s motto is “The extras aren’t extra” and guests can depend on free hot breakfasts, WiFi and an early-evening gathering with hot appetizers and beverages.” (Copied from http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/why-travelers-are-fed-up-%E2%80%93-and-what-hotels-can-do-about-it.html)  
Although I’ve never had the privilege of staying in a Drury-owned hotel, I’d like to. And if all hotels and motels followed Drury’s example and included “the extras” in the basic services they offer, their guests would enjoy traveling far more and would be “repeat customers.”

Actually, doing more than is required isn’t a new concept. The Bible, written centuries ago, instructs us to go the extra mile, to pursue excellence, to put the needs of others before our own, etc. When we do that, people will notice (and appreciate!) our commitment to excellence—and be inspired by it.