My dearest readers, one way I would love for us to look at this is that in the architecture of a human life, we are all builders. Every day, through our thoughts, words, and actions, we are laying bricks for the future, but many of us spend more time building walls than bridges. We build “Monuments of Nothingness” using the primary tool of the incompetent: the excuse.
The quote is as sharp as it is true: “Excuses are the tools of the incompetent; they are monuments of nothingness, and those who use them are not wise.” To the modern ear, this might sound harsh. Some people live in a culture that validates every reason for failure and cushions every fall, but for those who desire to live a life of value and faith, we must recognize that an excuse is simply a well dressed lie we tell ourselves so that we do not have to feel the sting of our own potential.
The Anatomy of an Excuse
An excuse is not the same as a reason. A reason is an objective fact that explains a situation; an excuse is a psychological shield used to deflect responsibility. When we use the language of “Why I couldn’t,” we are essentially handing over our power to our circumstances.
When you say, “I couldn’t finish that project because I was too busy,” you are telling yourself that you are a victim of your schedule. When you say, “I couldn’t grow spiritually because the church is full of hypocrites,” you are making your holiness dependent on others’ behavior. In both cases, you have built a wall of excuses that keeps you safe from the discomfort of growth, but also locks you away from the reward of achievement.
The High Cost of the “Monument of Nothingness”
Why does the quote call excuses “monuments of nothingness”? Because a monument is meant to commemorate something great, but an excuse commemorates a void. It is a structure built to occupy the space where a result should have been.
Every time we justify why we did not show up, why we did not start the business, or why we did not forgive, we are erecting a monument to a version of ourselves that never came to be. And over time, these monuments crowd out our landscape, we look around and see a life filled with “almosts” and “could-haves,” all supported by perfectly seemly logical explanations that, in the end, amount to nothing.
Wisdom vs. The Incompetent Mindset
The quote concludes by saying that those who use these tools “are not wise.” In the biblical sense, wisdom is the application of truth to life. The “incompetent” mentioned here is not necessarily someone lacking talent; it is someone lacking the will to take ownership.
Wisdom recognizes that while we can not always control everything that happens to us, we are 100% responsible for our response. The wise man knows that an excuse is a dead end; that it stops progress, it kills innovation, and it stops or delays repentance. To be wise is to be a person of your word, someone whose “Yes” is “Yes” and whose “No” is “No,” without the need for a secondary paragraph explaining the failure.
Breaking the Language of “Why I Couldn’t”
To move beyond the wall of excuses, you must perform a radical audit of your language. You must stop using the vocabulary of a victim and start using the language of a steward.
Shift from “I Couldn’t” to “I Didn’t”
“I couldn’t” implies a lack of ability or an external blockage. “I didn’t” implies a choice.
- Instead of “I couldn’t go to the gym,” try “I didn’t prioritize my health today.”
- Instead of “I couldn’t spend time in prayer,” try “I didn’t make space for God this morning.” This shift is painful because it removes the mask, but in that pain is the seed of change. You can fix a “didn’t,” but you are stuck with a “couldn’t.”
Recognize the Fear Beneath the Excuse
Most excuses are just fear in a suit and tie; we make excuses for not starting that blog or applying for that promotion because if we try and fail, we have no shield. But if we make an excuse for why we never tried, we can maintain the illusion that we would have succeeded if only the circumstances were different.
Build a Culture of Accountability
Very very importantly, in our personal life and our faith journey, let us learn to always surround ourselves with people who do not accept our monuments of nothingness. We need “iron-sharpening-iron” relationships where a friend can look us in the eye and say, “That is a great excuse, but what are you going to do about the problem?”
The Spiritual Dimension: No Excuses Before the Creator
In the Parable of the Talents, the servant who hid his talent came to the master with a perfectly articulated excuse: “I knew you were a hard man… so I was afraid and went and hid your talent” (Matthew 25:24).
The master did not offer sympathy for the servant’s fear; He called him “wicked and lazy.” And why did he? Because the servant used an excuse to justify his lack of stewardship. But in the Kingdom of God, we are called to be doers of the Word, not explainers of why we are not doing it. Grace is there to cover our sins, but it is not a permit for our excuses.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells a story that is as piercing today as it was two thousand plus years ago; the Parable of the Talents. A master, before leaving on a long journey, entrusts his servants with varying sums of money: five talents to one, two to another, and one to the last, each according to his ability.
When the master returns, he finds that the first two servants have doubled what they were given, but the third, out of fear and caution, buried his talent in the ground, and so he returns it untouched, safe but fruitless.
The master’s response is sharp and unsettling:
For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. – Matthew 25:29
It is a haunting lesson not about greed, but about growth. Not about accumulation, but very very much about stewardship. The parable is not condemning those who have little, but those who refuse to do something with what they have.
Continue Reading: The Parable of The Talents: We Must Increase What We Have Been Given
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Conclusion
If you want to Do Better and Be Better, you must become a person who hates excuses more than you fear failure. Tearing down the wall of excuses is the only way to see the horizon of your true potential.
So to myself and my dearest readers, I say, stop building monuments to nothingness! Put down the tools of the incompetent! Pick up the mantle of the wise! The world and your Father in Heaven is not looking for your explanations; they are looking for your fruit!
