No Excuses!

Is there really any excuse not to succeed? It amazes me how one person can suffer a minor setback and it throws his whole life into a tailspin. I knew a guy who lost his job. He didn't find another job right away and became deeply depressed. He started drinking and became an alcoholic. He ended up losing his wife, home, and eventually ended up in a group home. He never fully recovered. He sunk into self pity and despair.

Then you can have someone who suffers a life altering setback like Joni Eareckson Tada. At the age of 18, Joni became paralyzed after a diving accident. Imagine that, 18 and your whole life is ahead of you full of promise. Then you end up in a wheelchair, dependent on others for your basic needs. If you read her story, she admits that she wallowed in self pity for a couple of years. The difference with Joni is she had faith that God would work things out for her and she put her faith into action. She had art waiting to burst onto the canvas. But what do you do when you can't use your hands or feet? She began painting using her mouth to hold the brush. She also started a Christian ministry for the disabled. She also became a best selling author. All while spending most of her time since the age of 18 in a wheelchair. 

So what does it take to make it after setbacks? It takes faith that God has a plan and He will work it out. It takes action to get off your butt and do the things you need to do to recover from the setback. It takes a mindset that believes you can succeed. It takes a determination to accept no excuses and move forward. Mrs. Tada didn't accept being a being a quadriplegic as an excuse not to move forward. So stop accepting setbacks or circumstances as an excuse.