He Never Made An Excuse

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.

“He who is good at making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”  - Benjamin Franklin

As I have pondered the life of Jesus lately, it suddenly hit me that we have no record of Him ever making an excuse.  He never made an excuse about why something happened, or did not happen.  Though he struggled with the same fears and temptations we all face – he never complained, or created reasons to explain something away.

Then, when I read the first few pages of the Old Testament – when I look at the very first conversation ever recorded – I find possibly the first excuse ever made. When God confronted Adam regarding why he had eaten the forbidden fruit – Adam responds, “The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” (Genesis 3:12) And then when God turned to Eve and asked why she had eaten the fruit, she gives a simliar response, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

While excuse making is nothing new, High Level Leaders do not have a habit of reverting to this type of mindset.  Go deep into your study of people…you will find the more successful the person, the less inclined they are to make excuses.  “People with mediocre accomplishments are quick to explain why they haven’t, why they don’t, why then can’t, and why they aren’t.  Successful people could make these excuses, but they don’t.” (Dr. David Schwartz)

While high level leaders may be temped to make an excuse to alleviate some responsibility, they instead choose remain accountable to the truth.  They remain courageous and face up to their responsibility, while honestly assessing the events around why something did, or did not, happen. 

** Think of the last excuse you made – What fear or issue caused you to go there?