I remember reading a story once about a teacher who held a ‘Funeral of the I can’ts‘ with her middle school class. The students wrote down their I can’ts on pieces of paper: I can’t get a perfect score on a math test, I can’t climb to the top of the rope in gym, etc. Then they put all the I can’ts into a box and buried them in a ceremonial funeral.
Such a cool idea, but come on! If I’d been in the class, I’m sure I would have picked a completely fake ‘I can’t’, because no way would I have publicly shared my deepest darkest insecurities with my classmates.
My Dad was one of the most positive people I’ve ever known. When my sisters and I were growing up, he would not let us say “I can’t”, and he even erased the word “can’t” from our very expensive World Book Dictionary, Volume I.
So here’s my sermon of the day. When you say “I can’t”, think about why you said it.
– Are you trying to get out of doing something you don’t want to do?
– Are you trying to avoid taking a risk because the outcome might not be successful?
– Are you afraid of the unknown?
– Are you using it as an excuse because you just plain don’t feel like it?
– Or is it because it’s something you honestly cannot do because of physical or intellectual or financial constraints? (By the way, very few things actually fall into this category.)
Philippians 4:13 says: “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” (italics mine)
Stop saying “I can’t”. It’s a lame excuse. Now go ahead and have a funeral for your I can’ts.
Inside the Writer 