This post is for Five Minute Friday, a community of writers who use a one-word prompt to write for five minutes with no planning or editing. Today’s word is “excuse.”
I can think of ten excuses why you should not be yourself.
1. Your friend will think you’re dumb.
2. Strangers will look at you funny.
3. People will think you’re weird.
4. Your neighbor will ask your husband if you’ve gone crazy.
5. People will be offended that you don’t want to be like them, because they’re doing it the right way obviously.
6. You will be free from someone else’s expectations.
7. You’ll be more trusting of the way God made you.
8. You will have less self doubt.
9. You might actually be happier, and we don’t want that.
10. You’ll get little “God nudges” letting you know you are on the right track.
Of course, I say all this sarcastically. Who doesn’t want to feel happier and closer to God?
Yet we continue to make choices based on what we think others will think.
We all have character flaws. And I think of Peter in the Bible who made a mistake in denying that he knew Jesus. But we don’t hear Jesus say, “Why can’t you be more like your brother Andrew?” Instead Jesus says to Peter, “Do you love me?”And when Peter says yes, three times, Jesus tells Peter to be a leader to the followers of Jesus.
Where there’s love, there is faithfulness, a desire to do right by the one you love. Do we love God? Do we love who he made us to be? Do we humbly receive the gifts he’s given us so that we can serve others?
God never made you to be in a box, so excuse yourself out of there.
That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.
Galatians 5:26 The Message
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I appreciated your post today. It definitely met me where I’m at.
So glad it could encourage you. I wrote it for myself too!
This is so true, Natalie, “Where there’s love, there is faithfulness, a desire to do right by the one you love.”
Lisa, FMF #13 Excuse Her
Thank you!
Wonderful!! Deirdre FMF#1
Thank you!
Ooo, that last line!! “Excuse yourself right out of there.” Yes ma’am!
Yes, let’s do that!
Love this. So wonderfully spoken. Blessings.
Visiting from FMF#5
~Selah~
Thank you for the encouragement!
Oh I loved this! How often we cheat ourselves of joy and authenticity with our excuses.
Joy and authenticity—that’s what we need more of!