You’ll probably hear this quote again on Sunday, but Warren Wiersbe once wrote, “People who are good at making excuses are rarely good at anything else.” Ouch. That seems a quite harsh but if we take a little time to reflect on the statement, we see the value of this reminder. People who make excuses can’t grow if they refuse to own their failures. When we confess our failures, we can find ways of living differently. We’ll become more open to suggestions, teaching and refutation. When we are making excuses, we are simply finding creative ways to avoid responsibility. Since God’s intention for us is to grow, we should get better at owning our mistakes and failures rather than putting them off on someone else. The oldest sin is pride, the second oldest sin is blame-shifting. Humanity is sick with this malady. From toddlers to politicians, people have a really hard time confessing their sins and taking responsibility for the things that are really their fault. On Sunday, we’re returning to our study of 1 Samuel. Chapter 13 is the beginning of the “slide” for Saul. The slippery slope begins with his unbelief, which led to impatience, which led to sin, which he never fully owned. There are important lessons for us in this story, “he that has ears to hear, let him hear.”