Luke 6:39-42 (NLT)
Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
Of the many blind spots I once possessed (and sometimes still do) and one I witness almost daily at the shelter, is the need to make excuses. As addicts and alcoholics, we make excuses constantly to escape, or remain in, the comfortable throes of our addictions. We claim it isn’t our fault, we were innocent victims of dysfunctional families, circumstances spiraled beyond our control and shaped us, an overbearing spouse or the unsympathetic employer who drove us to it, life expects too much, God has abandoned us to our fate. We say and do anything to excuse our self-inflicted misery to avoid confession and accountability.
The excuses we use to wreak havoc on our recovery never cease to amaze me. To show how petty we can be, consider the story of Stan. The Louisiana native came to us hooked on a pharmacy full of pills. Making matters worse, he worked in the medical community before getting addicted and getting his license revoked. On entering, he left us for three days of detox at Solutions. Upon his return, he had a couple of good days before the itch hit again. As we watched with sadness, he fell into a freefall. He would talk about his allergies and how bad they were and how he desperately needed Benedryl to ease his suffering. In his predicament, the meds would have only done him damage and Major disallowed his use of the drug. This only exacerbated the problem- in his eyes. And the excuses followed: Major was inhumane not to give him medicine, his system would shut down without the soothing sweetness of the pink liquid, this program wasn’t doing him any good anyway, Jason didn’t know as much as he thinks he does. These types of things. It’s no real surprise he left a few days later.
Making excuses was part of our old way of life. If we find ourselves starting down that path, it should send up red flags of warning, showing us the danger of our situation. To combat our excuses, we should instead accept responsibility, confess our true powerlessness, and humbly seek help- from God first and then from others We can find the strength to stop letting the excuses roll and allow the healing to continue.
Discussion Questions:
1. How do you respond to adversity? Do you make excuses or point fingers?
2. Describe the last situation in which you had the opportunity to take responsibility or make excuses. Which did you choose?
3. List three excuses you’ve been making and pray that GOD help you take responsibility for those. Then follow through. (Example: Excuse-The Bible seems overwhelming to read. Accepting Responsibility- I will read small parts of the Bible daily. Like one Psalm a day.)
