by Anthony N. Wade

If you happen to be a person who rubs shoulders with the public on a regular basis, I am sure that you have encountered this type of personality. There always seems to be one or more in the crowd no matter where we turn. Now, before I get too deep into this message, I must say that none of us are perfect, and we all have our idiosyncrasies.

The character trait I am focusing on is excusitis. You may be asking, “what is excusitus?” Well, it is the habit of excusing your way out of responsibility that belongs to you. It could be blaming others for your misfortune, mistakes, or delinquencies. I am reminded of the little lad that was asked by his teacher where his home work was. His response, or better yet excuse, was that “the dog ate it.” He would have been better to be honest with his teacher, face the consequences for not doing his homework, than to fabricate an excuse of that magnitude. The person who has excusitus will always wiggle his or her way out of any responsibility. They usually have a reason for not meeting deadlines. Nothing ever sticks.

That brings to mind the late Mafia Boss, John Gotti. Two of his nicknames were the Dapper Don and Teflon Don. Dapper means a man that is neat and elegant in dress and manner. Teflon is a material that is resistant to anything that sticks to it. A don is a leader of an organized crime family. The sad story about Mr.Gotti was that he was finally convicted of numerous crimes and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He only served ten years of his sentence, then died of complications of head and neck cancer. The person with excusitus, if permanent changes are not made usually is left to face life alone. They unknowingly push people away. People have a difficult time being around this type of individual. Why? Their excuses become offensive. Are you inclined to excusitis? If so my advise to you is…do an internal search. Check your motives. Be honest with yourself and others. It pays tremendous dividends to rid yourself of this horrendous character flaw. AWM

Copyright © 2008 Anthony N. Wade Ministries – All Rights Reserved. No part of this teaching may be rewritten or reproduced without the written permission of the author.