Excuse Me, I’m Ready Now

Excuse Me, I’m Ready Now

by Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar

Let me just tell you upfront, you’ve walked into a no-judgment zone. So exhale, relax your shoulders, and let’s talk real for a minute.

I want to have a conversation about a word that has tripped me up more times than I care to admit: excuses. Yeah, that five-syllable life-derailer.

Now, before we get all holy and deep, let me keep it real with you. I grew up in a home where “excuse” was practically a cuss word. Especially with my mama, Marva. Lord have mercy. That woman didn’t play when it came to accountability. You talk about a whipping? Not just a physical one, but a soul-snatching one too. She had this way of cutting through your excuses like a hot knife through butter just one look and you’d start confessing stuff you hadn’t even done yet. She didn’t tolerate nonsense. If she heard, “But Mama, I was gonna ” you'd better believe the air in the room changed. Lightning didn’t strike harder than that stare.

So yeah, I learned early: Excuses come with consequences.

And yet… as grown as I am now, I still catch myself making ‘em. Sometimes dressed up in real fancy clothes too "I’m waiting on the right moment," or "I don’t feel led right now," or the classic "Life is just really busy."

Let’s be honest: most excuses aren’t real. They’re just fear with a new name.

Here’s the truth that stings a little The Creator hasn’t been treating us the way we treat Them.

Let that sit with you.

The Creator remains faithful. Available. Compassionate. Loving. Patient. Present.

And us? We’ve been dodging, ducking, and offering up weak reasons why we can’t show up for prayer, for purpose, or even just a quiet moment of reflection.

We say we don’t have time, but somehow we make time to scroll, binge, gossip, and stress.

We say we’re not ready, but truthfully, we’re just not willing.

Behind every excuse is not a lack of opportunity it’s a lack of desire. And oof, that’s a hard pill to swallow.

You ever notice how the moment The Creator starts to move in our lives when healing starts to creep in, when peace is trying to knock we got a whole list of reasons why we can’t receive it?

“Oh, I’m just not there yet.”

“I’m too broken.”

“Maybe later, when things calm down.”

But that’s the thing: healing doesn’t wait for calm.

It shows up in the storm and dares you to walk on water.

You know that quote by Vernon Brundage? He said,

“Excuses are tools of incompetence used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness. And those who use them seldom specialize in anything else.”

Whew. Now if that ain’t a mirror moment. That’s me.

That’s me when I overthink, hesitate, procrastinate.

That’s me when I wait on motivation instead of leaning on discipline.

That’s me missing out on divine appointments because I’m busy trying to make everything fit my timeline.

I’ve lost opportunities. Delayed blessings.

Heck, I’ve even hurt people with my inconsistency.

So if you're reading this and you know me really know me I want to say from the deepest place in my heart: I’m sorry.

If you’ve ever been stung by my delay, my avoidance, my good intentions wrapped in poor follow-through I ask you to forgive me.

I’m not perfect, but I’m aware now. And awareness is the first step to freedom.

And if you’re not ready yet… that’s okay.

But don’t lie to yourself about it.

Don’t dress fear up in ambition’s clothes. Don’t say you’re “waiting on a sign” when really you’re just scared of what stepping forward might change.

Because change will come.

When you stop letting excuses pilot your life, the scenery shifts. Some folks might fall away. Some doors might close. And that’s alright. Growth doesn’t always come with applause it often comes with silence and shedding.

You’ll find that letting go of excuses means making room for discipline. For accountability. For intention.

And those things? They don’t always feel good in the moment. But they’ll carry you further than comfort ever could.

You’ll start waking up and realizing you didn’t need anyone’s permission to be great.

That the same fire you’ve admired in others? It’s been smoldering inside of you this whole time, just waiting for some oxygen.

And once you stop feeding the excuses, you’ll find yourself feeding your purpose.

See, when I finally got tired of my own stories tired of hearing myself repeat the same cycles like a broken record I had to choose something different.

And the wild part? The moment I did, blessings started showing up that had been parked outside my door for years. I just hadn’t opened it. I was too busy peeking through the peephole, wondering if I was “ready.”

Let me say this:

You don’t have to be ready to be used.

You just have to be willing.

The Creator don’t need perfect.

The Creator needs present.

Needs available. Needs a heart that says, “I may not have it all figured out, but here I am.”

So here I am.

Flawed, but faithful.

Unsure, but showing up.

Still working through some mess, but no longer hiding behind it.

Because I believe this with every beat of my heart:

When you show up with your yes, the universe rearranges things in your favor.

When you quit making room for doubt and excuses, you make space for alignment.

For favor.

For overflow.

So what excuse have you been coddling?

What dream have you been cradling so carefully, afraid to let it hit the ground and take root?

It’s time to let it breathe.

It’s time to write the book.

Time to leave the job that’s killing your spirit.

Time to have the hard conversation.

Time to forgive them and yourself.

Time to take that walk, even if your knees still tremble.

Time to love like your heart’s never been broken.

Time to start again.

Don’t wait on perfect. Don’t wait on permission.

And please don’t wait on pain to be the only thing that finally pushes you forward.

You don’t need another breakdown to earn a breakthrough.

You just need to decide:

No more excuses.

So let’s walk together now.

Not as victims of delay, but as warriors of becoming.

Not as folks still stuck in the story, but as authors writing the next chapter with bold hands and open hearts.

We’ve wasted enough time explaining why we can’t.

Now it’s time to show the world what happens when we decide we can.

Excuse me…

But the healing begins now.

The loving begins now.

The rising? It starts right here.

And this time?

I ain’t turning back.