No Excuses!

What is wrong with this country? That question has probably been asked since the time of Washington and Jefferson and has definitely been asked in more recent times. The answer is as varied as the people who are asked. Most would probably say politicians or taxes or maybe the school systems, something that is tangible, something to which we can direct our annoyances. Strange that we never look a little closer to home, to something that we have the power to fix. My thoughts on one of the biggest problems of this day and time is lack of personal accountability. That’s right, why would we ever look at ourselves when we can blame the world’s problems on everyone and everything else in sight, whether or not they are to blame, just so we can keep the spotlight off us. I see this every day, even in myself. “I didn’t do it; I’m not to blame; don’t look at me.” It seems to be human nature to “pass the buck,” to deflect responsibility on someone else. One thing that I learned in the Navy was how to respond to an accusation, “No excuses Sir.”

Bearing Our Load

I was on a work party one time moving twenty foot pieces of flat stock that were four inches wide and one half inch thick. They were heavy, and we had to move them about twenty yards, but we managed just fine with each carrying one piece per person. One of us decided that when there were one sixth left that we would take the whole stack at one time with all six of us working together. It seemed like it would work out with no problems, since if one person could lift one piece by himself then six of us should be able to lift six pieces together. All was going well until one person quit carrying his part of the load. All of a sudden the weight became too heavy for the next guy so that he dropped it and so on until the load was spilled onto the ground. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load” (Gal. 6:2-5, NKJ). Our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are there for us, but if we do not bear our own loads as much as we can, then all will come tumbling down. We must remember that God will not allow more to be put on us than we can bear (1 Cor. 10:13).

Obtaining Salvation

I have said before, no one should rely on me for their salvation, not on what I say or what I do. Hopefully, everything that I preach is not only helpful but scriptural, and all that I do is to the glory of God and sets a good example, but I am still human and prone to error. Our salvation is the only thing that we have that cannot be taken from us by another. We cannot acquire it or lose it by someone else’s actions; it is ours alone to obtain or lose. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). On that Day of Judgment, God will not accept excuses for our evil doings, ignorance, or apathy, but we will stand on our own. The lives we live are ours alone to answer for. We chose the lives we lead, the paths we follow, and our final destination after this life is over.

Answering for Our Actions

“It’s my parents fault that I turned out this way. My spouse drove me to it. If I had only been born rich/good looking/smarter none of this would have happened.” Life can be tough, there is no doubt about it. Things happen that we do not expect and do not have any control over. Sometimes we find ourselves dealing with problems that are not of our own making. In the military, just like the civilian world, when something goes wrong, someone is going to have to answer for it. It is not easy to stand there and have someone yell at us even if we are at fault. Our pride is hurt, our anger is aroused, and we just want it to stop. So what do we do? We blame someone else. Turns out in the military, just like the real world, that is not the best course of action. It always turns out that the more blame is passed, the more wrath is produced. We dig ourselves into a hole that is hard to get out of. This goes for our relationship with God as well. He who knows all things that nothing is hidden from (Ps. 69:5), will judge us some day and what will we have to say for ourselves then? “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son . The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself” (Ezk. 18:20).

Conclusion

Taking responsibility for one’s own actions has become less of a priority in today’s society. Passing the buck is a common occurrence among every race, culture, and creed around the world. We must realize that while in this life we might be able to fool many people most of the time, one day we will have to answer for all that we have done. When standing before the Lord on that Great Day, the only answer we will be able to give is “No excuses Sir.”