Procrastination

by Andrew Cromwell

It has been said that the busiest day in people’s lives is “tomorrow.” To one degree or another, we all have a problem with procrastination.

Recently, I put off taking my car to get smogged. I kept telling myself I would do it, but I just didn’t. When the last day came before the late registration penalties kicked in, I started up my car to drive down to the smog shop. Wouldn’t you know it, the check engine light popped on as if to teach me a lesson. Needless to say, it was a challenging day and all because I procrastinated.

For some of us, procrastination is an art. We have become so good at waiting to the last minute, we don’t even know how to do life any other way. But even for those who would not consider themselves to be chronic procrastinators, there are always some things we keep delaying and putting off. Maybe we do it because we just don’t know how to begin, we are afraid of failing, we are stubborn or we are just plain lazy.

In and of itself, procrastination is not the worst thing in the world. The real question is are we procrastinating about the wrong things? The truth is, some things can wait. Whether or not I wax my car this week or next month is probably not that big of a deal. On the other hand, the conversation I need to have with my spouse or my kids is vitally important.

Some things need to be done now. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey My commands.” He didn’t say, “If you love me, obey me when you get around to it!”

I believe there are three things we need to do now and not delay. First, we need to get right with God. No one is guaranteed tomorrow and no one knows how long his or her life is going to be. The most important and vital thing for us to do is get right with our Creator.

Second, we need to get right with others. In Matthew 5, Jesus tells us it is more important to go and fix broken relationships then it is to go to church! If you have offended someone, go and ask forgiveness — stop delaying. Broken relationships do not fix themselves.

Third, we need to get busy serving others. We have this constant tendency to think our life is about making us happy. It’s not. Jesus said that the way to get life is to give up yours. True life is found when we invest our lives in serving others. James, the brother of Jesus, said, “true religion is to visit the orphan and widow.”

Sometimes we are so busy doing things that are unimportant, we fail to do the things that are really important. Maybe you need to change your life around so that you can do the stuff that really matters. I know I do.

The pastors in Kings County would love the opportunity to encourage you to get focused on the right stuff this weekend.  Why don’t you stop putting off what you need to do?

Stop Putting It Off

by Andrew Cromwell

There are always things in our life that we do not want to do, so we put them off. We tell ourselves that we will do it tomorrow. We think about how the thing is going to take a long time or be painful to do. And in this way another day passes, another week, another month, and another year. And still the thing is not done.

We all have things we put off until a later date. Sometimes these things really are large tasks — getting back in school to finish a degree, painting the house, or tackling that big project at work. Other times, the tasks are actually small, but they feel large to us because they involve emotional investment or the potential for conflict — having that difficult conversation, visiting relatives, or balancing the checkbook.

Whether big or small, rational or irrational, we delay doing these things, and we usually do so to our own detriment. More often than not, the things that we put off are actually important. But instead of focusing on the value of getting these things done and on the (generally) wonderful results which would flow from doing them, we instead fill our time with doing other less important things.

We have all had the experience of finally doing the thing we were dreading for so long. When we do it, we generally discover it wasn’t as difficult as we had imagined. We also usually end up asking ourselves, “Why didn’t I just get this done sooner?” We wasted so much time worrying, delaying and talking ourselves out of it, when we could have just done it.

I remind my kids the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. We would all do well to remember that little adage. Start focusing on what needs to be done and do it. If the task is overwhelming, focus on the first piece. To finish your college degree, you must first sign up for one class. To fix your marriage, you must first write your spouse a note (or take them out on a date). To become the Karate Kid, you must first paint the fence.

We often miss the best things in life because we waste our time worrying about how difficult they are going to be. Instead, let’s focus on doing the things that are going to make a difference in our life.

So what are you putting off? Don’t delay any longer, get started today!

Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call on Him while He is near.” The pastors in Kings County would love to help you build the One relationship in all of our lives that we must NOT put off. Why don’t you stop putting off getting in church, it might not be quite as painful as you had imagined!