“Hey, did you miss the date again?” asked a very concerned friend, referring to a recent dental appointment of mine. Dear reader, you may be wondering what’s the big deal with missing one appointment. But what if I told you that one task after the other, such patterns have become part of my lifestyle. “Deadlines, appointments, commitments- it’ll be a miracle if I make it on my own!”
Do you identify yourself with this person? It’s a template that represents much of our generation today. If we look deeper, we often will find seeds of procrastination germinating early on in our lives. Procrastination is like a slow poison that numbs us of the passion and dedication in doing a certain task with the excuse that a little postponement won’t do any harm. What we do not realize right away is that in the rush of the final hours, we not only become less productive but also work halfheartedly. We may feel relieved to have completed the task, but there is no joy of having done it well!
The reasons for procrastination may be many – laziness, fear of not getting work done perfectly, preoccupation with too many tasks at the same time, lack of proper preparation to accomplish a task, poor time management – to name a few. But in most cases, these reasons become the seeds of excuses that bloom and ripen into fruits of irresponsibility, untrustworthiness and a lack of commitment, eventually leading us to become talented able people with little use or purpose. When we cannot live out the purpose God created, called and equipped us to, we become like a log floating on water- lifeless!
God promises that those found faithful in little will be entrusted with more. Sometimes, it is the little things we overlook that hinder us from growing. You and I have just the right amount of time given to us by God, according to our abilities, to do the tasks for each hour, each day, and within the one life, we are given. Maybe if we are found faithful for one hour and then one day, we will see God’s unmistakable leading in our one life!
