I love the bible. It is one book that has basically answers to all the questions anyone will ever have; a believer and non- believer alike. As I was reading through the story of  Zacchaeus, I was struck by how excuses make us miss great opportunities in life. We give excuses whenever we don’t want to go the extra mile. We focus on what we do not have rather than what we have.
A joke was shared of an old woman who was asked to help carry a child and she said “Oh my God, I don’t even have teeth and you give me a baby to carry? ” You see, she used the lack of teeth to escape carrying the child, it was like she was asked to bite the child (Amused). All excuses sound like this. We are late for an appointment, say nothing, then use the traffic as an excuse, as if that kept us too from dropping a simple line of text. The list is endless, you know them all.
So, “How many likes of  Zacchaeus do we have today?” I asked myself.
Consider Zacchaeus, a tax collector and a wealthy man. He had a goal, he wanted to see Jesus. He was wealthy yes, but vertically disadvantaged; he was too short to see through a crowd.  I could imagine him saying, “I really want to see Jesus today, but my height will not allow me to.” Then after seeing a tree and having the thought of climbing it, he would still consider what people would say if they saw a rich man like him climbing trees. But he did not do that, he knew he was short and looked for another way of making it there, all he wanted was to see Jesus, and that is what mattered to him.
How many times have we let our week points limit us from achieving our goals?
How many times has pride, and caring what other people will say or think about us, kept us from attaining our goals in life?
I learned from Zacchaeus that there is always a way out, if at all we are determined. If we look around us, we’ll find all we need for achieving the goal we have in mind. If we do not care about what other people will say or think, and focus on our goal, we’ll see greater results.
Jesus was actually intending to visit the house of Zacchaeus, that was his day of salvation; and he was to be on the tree, to be seen by Jesus. Had he not climbed the tree, an opportunity, an eternal one, would have passed him by.
Is there any area of your life that you think is keeping you from getting to where you want? Do not focus on that, rather look for other ways of getting there, find that tree, for there is something great awaiting you there, though you cannot see it until you get there.
CLIMB THAT TREE, bury all excuses; for you can do ALL things through Christ.
By Liz Ekakoro:Diaspora Messenger contributor
