NO MORE EXCUSES

EXCUSE: "A reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense; an attempt to lesson the blame attaching to the fault or offense; to seek to defend or justify; to seek to remove blame."

After recently listening to Josh Wilson's song, "I Refuse", I couldn't help but think of all of the earthly excuses we humans tend to come up with in order to avoid doing the things our Heavenly Father calls us to do. Like children failing to turn in a homework assignment on time claiming, "the dog ate it", we are inclined to turn a deaf ear to that which in our finite thinking we determine does not apply to us.

Take orphan care for example. I think I have heard every excuse in the book to avoid it and admit I was guilty at one time of at least one or two of these myself. Adoption is too expensive. It takes way too long. It involves way too much paperwork. I don't like foreign travel. I am too old. I am too young. I don't have enough room in my house. I like things just the way they are, thank you very much. I think you get the point.

Last night, I had a dream. Actually it was more like a nightmare in which one of my children was far from home and in grave danger. Let me just say that I refused to wake up until she was safe and sound and under my roof.

And then my dream got me thinking . . .

Thinking about the lengths to which my Heavenly Father went to rescue me. Thinking about the lengths I would go to rescue any one of my own children or grandchildren. As he often does, the Lord then reminded me that there are 143 million children out there in the world far from home and in grave danger. Cold, hungry, alone and in desperate need of love. Now, I ask you to pause with me here for just a moment and imagine that one of these least among us is YOUR son or daughter. What lengths would you go to ensure his or her safety? How much money would you be willing to spend? How much paperwork would you be willing to fill out? How long would you be willing to wait? How far would you be willing to travel? How big would your house really have to be to bring YOUR child home? If you are anything like me, I bet you would spend your last penny, walk over hot coals and circumnavigate the globe to ensure their safety. I bet you would give your last breath for your kids and so would I.

So in the end, perhaps it's all about perspective. Perhaps we need to stop thinking in terms of "those kids" and start thinking in terms of "our kids". Perhaps we just need to stop making excuses and do our homework.