“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else." –Benjamin Franklin

Life can come at you fast.

There can be things that are unavoidable and trip you up.

You can fall flat on your face and maybe even lose a little skin off of your nose in the process. You can feel more than a little embarrassed.

The most important thing is what happens next.

You can lay in the road and blubber.

You can whine and lament your lousy luck.

Or you can you get back up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.

Finding excuses is habit-forming. There are plenty of temptations to point a finger and rattle off all of the factors involved in your slip-up. It is embarrassing to have to take full ownership for your situation, but you will be better off. Insist that in those things that you can control, that the proverbial buck stops here! Forget the excuse-making and instead look for ways to get back into the thick of things where you can achieve and contribute.

2 Thessalonians 3:10, The Message (MSG): "Don’t you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? ‘If you don’t work, you don’t eat.’ And now we’re getting reports that a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings are taking advantage of you. This must not be tolerated. We command them to get to work immediately – no excuses, no arguments – and earn their own keep. Friends, don’t slack off in doing your duty.”