No Excuses by Larry W Peebles March 23, 2018 18.10
I completely ruined one of the dining room chairs. As a young teenager home alone, and in a fit of anger, I struck one of the dining room chairs with something in my hand and ripped the fabric cover on the back of the chair. I don’t remember why I was so angry, but I do remember that I had quite a temper as a young person. There was no hiding the fact the chair was ruined. Money was very tight in our family, and there was no easy solution to the problem I had caused. I remember being so embarrassed as I searched all afternoon for possible excuses. There were none. By the time mom came home from work, I had decided there was no point in making excuses. I greeted mom, escorted her to the dining room, and explained exactly what had happened to the chair. I gave a truthful and complete account of what I had done. While she was disappointed, she did not immediately respond with harsh words or punishment. She may have been influenced by my being forthright. Several days later she informed me it was time to re-cover all the chairs as the existing fabric was worn and old. I was relieved when she said I would have to buy enough fabric to cover the backs and seats of all the chairs. Mom and one of my aunts would sew and install the covers. The Saturday after the fabric was purchased they worked all day, laughing and drinking coffee while they sewed. I felt very awkward watching them work so hard, but was grateful to see my foolish mistake work out so well. Mom was quite proud of the new chairs when all the hard work was done. I learned a valuable lesson about controlling my temper, and taking responsibility without making excuses, although I must admit there were more failures along the way.
It is an uneasy feeling to have to search for an excuse for a wrongful act. Our human side does this naturally in an attempt to defend, mitigate or shift the blame for our actions or inactions. It is a worse feeling when there is no excuse. We have to be taught to not make excuses. Rather, we must learn to accept the consequences of our actions by taking total responsibility.
The Bible says the day will come when everyone will give account of their lives before God. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says- “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” While we are judged according to what we know, the Bible is clear that there is one thing we all should know, without excuse. As a created being living in a created world, we must be aware there is a Creator. There is no plausible explanation for creation without an intelligent design—a God with an order and purpose for all things, and the One who is the first cause of life. Romans 1:20 says- “For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”
The power and creative intelligence of God as the first cause and designer of creation are evident everywhere. Following are just some of the invisible (yet clearly seen) fingerprints of God on His creation:
- The human body- under normal circumstances is made to repair itself when injured, and it heals itself when sick. It filters its own fuel (food, air and water), taking the useful material into the body for consumption of the necessary elements, and expelling the waste. It filters its own blood, and pumps it throughout the body to rejuvenate all the components. This function is performed by the heart, a vital organ that keeps pumping continuously due to a subconscious signal from the brain. The brain sends impulses all over the body to govern the function of many other organs, muscles and nerves. It does this without having to be told or governed. The brain is also a powerful computer which processes light, sound, color and other stimuli, and is capable of conscious thought and reason. The eye can see, the ear can hear, the nose can smell, the tongue can taste, and the finger can feel because of various sensors connected to the brain. The eye can adjust to various shades of light so that it can see in bright sunlight or softer moonlight.
The lungs breathe without our conscious awareness, and process oxygen vital to life. They also expel the waste from the air after the oxygen is removed and used. The body can grow stronger by exercising the muscles, and the brain can grow stronger by stretching its capacity to process and memorize information. The body is capable of rapid movement, and is also built to close down for necessary rest and repair. When one function of the body is lost, such as sight, another function such as hearing will accentuate to compensate. Some studies suggest that when sight is lost, a little used sense of sonar can take over so that the person “knows” they are about to walk into a wall. The human body is strong yet flexible, capable of bending to the extreme, as evidenced by those well-trained in gymnastics.
Within the human body is the capacity for a wide range of emotions such as love, anger, loneliness, loyalty, and many others. The mind, will and emotions are collectively referred to as a soul, which together with the eternal spirit, is housed within the body. This short article cannot capture the intricacies and complexities of the human body. The medical profession over the centuries has filled libraries with studies of this amazing creation. This writing is merely intended to encourage and remind us of how fearfully and wonderfully we are made. Psalm 139:13-14 says- “For You [Creator God] formed my inward parts; You covered me in mother’s womb. I will praise You [Creator God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” [Inserts mine.] Something so wonderfully made as the body could not crawl out of a swamp and evolve. It had to be created with a master design, and therefore we are charged to know the Creator, without excuse.
- The mind- is capable of predictable response to repeated stimuli, and is also capable of original and creative thought. Without the imagination of the mind, there would be no artwork, paintings, music or beautiful clothes, buildings or bridges. The mind is capable of reason and memory. As previously stated, it is capable of functioning at the conscious and the subconscious levels. Sometimes we “see” in a dream or get an open vision of something that does not yet exist or has not happened. Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation or place we have visited before, if only in our mind. The Bible says we are created in the image of God. While God is the only One capable of creating something from nothing, I am convinced we fall short of our potential to create much more from what we have available to us. A mind so creative, so powerful and so full of potential did not evolve. It is the work of a master Creator, and bears more than a mere resemblance—in reality, we have the mind of Christ. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:16- “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” We are charged to know and recognize our Creator, without excuse.
- The natural creation– is filled with the fingerprints of the Creator. My wife and I have lived at the seashore, and we have lived in the mountains. We have walked along the edge of the oceans, and we have walked along mountain streams and waterfalls. We have seen the stars at night, the expanse of the heavens, and the beauty of the sunrise and sunset all over the world. The plants and animals on the earth and under the ocean support and depend on each other in a way too intricate to describe in this article. This intricacy and the sheer beauty of creation point again to a master Creator. Meditate on these scriptures: John 1:3- “Through Him [Jesus] all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” Job 12:7-10- “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Psalm 95:4-5- “In His hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.” Then consider Psalm 19:1- “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” There are so many more Scriptures attributing the wonders of nature, including the oceans and the heavens, to the God who created it. How can anyone rationally believe this earth and the things on it, and the heavens above it evolved so perfectly? There is a master designer, an eternal God who delighted in expressing His unmatched imagination in creating it. When we see the creation, we have no excuse in not knowing the Creator.
Whether we are visiting the national parks in the U.S., the animal parks of Africa, or just walking the trails through the mountain forests near our home, my wife is continually looking for photo opportunities. She has developed a keen eye for seeing the unique in nature and taking those unusual pictures. Most of the pictures will be for personal enjoyment, but they continually remind we can and should find the Creator in His creation. It is not hard when we look, and is so obvious we have no excuse.
