No excuses!

    This week, I am introducing you to Hannah Scott, the sole student who tries out for cross country in the movie I introduced last week, “Overcomer.” She lives with her grandmother because she  lost her mother at an early age and never knew her father. In fact, she was told by her grandmother that he is dead. 
    With all of these realities which she faces, let’s add to that the fact that she is a runner but has asthma. She therefore has to make sure that she has her inhaler with her during races. 
    I like the fact that in spite of all these seeming negatives, they don’t stop her from trying out. She could have easily used her asthma as an excuse not to be a runner, but she didn’t and became a runner anyway and tried out for cross country. John, the basketball coach turned cross country coach, seemed to think it was major enough that she should not try out. He even tried convincing the principal of this but the latter was adamant that she should be given a chance. After all, she had been given clearance by her doctor to run.
    What’s your excuse for being less than your best for God? What or who has been holding you back from being and doing all that God has called you to? Sometimes we may be in a place where our past, our limitations, various situations may seem to dictate our ability to accomplish one thing or another. We may be deemed unfit, unqualified, even disqualified by some. Yet, at the end of the day, God still has the final say!
    I recall Ehud in the book of Judges. He was one of the judges who delivered the Israelites from their enemies and he ruled over Israel eighty years (Judges 3:12-30). One interesting thing about him was that he was left-handed. That may not seem like a big thing to us but for the Israelites at that time, left-handedness was considered a disadvantage, even a physical defect. However, in God’s eyes, he was every bit fit to lead His people and to deliver them from their enemies. In fact, his left-handedness is what God used to kill Eglon, king of Moab and so defeat this nation that had been oppressing Israel for eighteen years.
    Ehud did not see himself as disqualified or unfit to deliver God’s people. In fact, he saw his "defect" as an opportunity. When he went to present their tribute to the king, he hid a dagger he had made under his clothes on his right thigh. Every “normal” human being would have fastened their weapon to their left thigh so that they could reach for it with their right hand. When he sought a private audience with the unsuspecting king, as he reached for his weapon on his right thigh with his left hand, the king never suspected a thing. God used his “defect” to bring deliverance to the people of Israel!
    Don’t discount what God can do in and through you today. No matter what your “defect” may be, God is not turned off by it as others might be … or as you might be! He is not using it as an excuse to declare you unqualified, disqualified or unfit. God can use that defect to bring honour and glory to Himself! 
    Hannah went on to win the cross country championship. Her challenges and defects did not stop her from accomplishing great things. They did not stop God from choosing to do great things in and through her. Your challenges and defects won’t stop you neither can they prevent God from doing great things in and through you. According to Mark 10:27: “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I invite you to do so today. None of us are perfect. We all have shortcomings and limitations that seem designed to derail us. But with God on our side, nothing - or no one - can hinder God from doing His best work in and through us!
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