Why Wait? Is anybody as bad as a procrastinator as I am? I find a reason to put off anything!!! It is a blessing and a curse! Of course, the blessing is that I have learned to work very well under pressure, the curse is that I have to work under pressure. I have had plenty of conversations in my head that go something like this: “I should do, x, y, or z! But if I do that now I can’t do this? Oh no worries Tara, you can do that tomorrow!” I live by the motto of, “Why do today, what I can do tomorrow!” Instead of the ever-famous Benjamin Franklin quote, “Don’t put off until tomorrow, what you can do today!”
This morning in prayer I think I got yelled at. I’m sure in my 43 years of life God has tried to gently ask me what I am waiting for, but today He needed to use his stern Father voice, and quite simply he yelled very clearly, “Why wait?” I couldn’t think of a reason why I should wait…I had no excuses! I simply said, “Ok God…I’m done waiting, I’ll start that right away!”
The story is always the same for me…I want to focus on my health, I want to start exercising, I want to get better organized, I want to spend more time praying, I want to read more Scripture…but it’s always, that’s a great idea, I’ll start that next week. It doesn’t matter what the story is, I always give myself a few days to mentally prepare for whatever the goal is. Sometimes I need those days, but most of the time I don’t know what I am waiting for. If I want to focus on my health, why do I need five extra days to gorge myself on food that isn’t good for me. If I want to spend more time praying, why do I need time to prepare to spend time with my best friend? The waiting doesn’t make sense…does it? Now if I’m going to give up soda and I drink four cans a day, maybe I need a few days to taper down and so waiting does make sense…but for the most part I’m just procrastinating and giving myself permission to have poor behavior.
Thus comes the scolding I got from the Lord this morning. I was procrastinating starting better habits in my life and giving myself permission to just be a lazy and slothful. God still loves me in my slothful behavior, but he REFUSES to let me stay in that mentality. He is calling me to be the best I can be, or as Matthew Kelly has coined, He calls me to be the “best version of myself!”
My challenge to myself and all of you reading this who can relate to my tendency to procrastinate is, when God calls us to make improvements in our lives, WE DON’T WAIT! We run towards the challenge and ask God to help us too just be ready! Challenge and growth are not always warm and fuzzy feelings, challenge and growth can be difficult, but once we grow and become who we are called to be those warm and fuzzy feelings will follow. We will be able to look back on the sacrifices we made and feel proud of what we have accomplished. We are in this game of life together, so let’s encourage one another to run, not walk (or procrastinate), to become the best version of ourselves!
