No Excuses
Robbie Colson-Ramsey, Contributing Writer
On the first Sunday of the new year, my husband preached a soul-stirring message, No Excuses, from John 5: 1-15. The sermon begged us to move from stagnant ways and pleaded that we no longer allow fear to paralyze us because it is time to move from our old ways. It mandated that we get up, stop being distracted, and stop being held hostage by excuses. The sermon reminded me of when I was pledging (intake) for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. We would say, “Excuses are tools of the incompetent that build monuments of nothingness. Those who choose to use them seldom amount to anything.” Think about it; our excuses are empty thoughts and words used to bring nothing to fruition.
As pastor’s spouses, the excuses we create often develop a hedge of hindrance that creates issues in our spouse’s churches. In 2023, we must alleviate excuses that make our spouses unsatisfied and why spouses do not get true fulfillment from doing the Lord’s work.
An ongoing excuse is that many spouses don’t work in the church because they feel it is their spouse’s calling and not theirs; when you march down that aisle and say I do, it becomes a shared calling. Now, you did not receive the appointment, but because you are equally yoked, you sometimes feel the partial weight of the charge. We create excuses because we are not prepared to engage fully in our spouse’s churches. This is the year for you to say I am here, ready to serve, with no excuses.
Although we commit to lessening our excuses in the new year and hitting the target head-on, removing excuses and working in the church is not giving you a ticket to take over the church; it’s not your appointment, and you are not the pastor. It would help if you were an engaged member with a caring and approachable attitude. The members are watching and using you as a measuring stick. If you don’t support the project, why should they?
In the new year, be encouraged to lessen your excuses because you stand accountable in God’s eyes. So remember, in all you do and say, do not make excuses.
