Get Off Your But

Saw this comment posted by a friend on Twitter and it definitely made me think …

The comment was made in this context: We make excuses every day. The question is what excuses do we need to stop using so we can get off our But and make something important happen. The reality is that there is too often a “But” at the end of many sentences. I could have done that, But. I would have done that, But. I should have done that, But. Too much looking backwards at what we failed to do.

That said, not all Buts are bad. It may be that something better came along and an even greater choice was made. It may be that there was not enough time or space to fulfill a plan. Maybe it was a situation where there was no harm, no foul. Maybe the But meant “not yet” or “not now”, rather than a final no or a final excuse.

What the comment reminded me of is the need to look at ourselves honestly and challenge our Buts, maybe even challenge our Buts off if we can. Life is fleeting and there is precious little time for excuses. One of my best friends would call this the “WishIda” syndrome … as in, wish I’d a done that. If we don’t pay attention to what we’re doing, we will have way too many WishIdas in our lives.

Finally, here’s another thing this comment made me think of: “There but for the grace of God go I” … a saying I think about whenever I see a challenge, a tragedy, a person who has been hurt or is suffering. Even a car accident brings that to my mind. It is the grace of God that keeps me whole and living a life through faith … there is no But about that.