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Procrastination
Allow me to introduce a professional thief.
Chances are you’d never pick this slick little guy out of a crowd, but many, over the years, have come to regard him as a formidable giant. Quick as a laser and silent as a moonbeam, he can pick any lock in your office. Once inside, his winsome ways will captive your attentions. You’ll treat him like your closest friend. Ah…but watch out. He’ll strip you without a blink of remorse.
Master of clever logic that he is, the bandit will rearrange the facts just enough to gain your sympathies. When others call his character into question, you’ll find yourself not only believing in him, but actually quoting and defending him. Too late, you’ll see through his ruse and give him grudging credit as the shrewdest of all thieves. Some never come to such a realization at all. They stroll to their graves arm-in-arm with the very robber who has stolen away their lives.
His name? Procrastination. His specialty? Stealing time and incentive. Like the proverbial packrat, he makes off with priceless valuables, leaving cheap substitutes in their place: excuses, rationalizations, empty promises, embarrassment, and guilt. Like most crooks, this pro hits you when you’re weak—the moment you relax your defenses. You wake up on a Saturday morning. It’s been a beast of a week. Insistent voices of neglected tasks echo in your head and plead for attention. Suddenly your con-artist appears and begins to bargain with you. By sundown he’s gone… and so is your day…and so is your hope.
You step on the bathroom scales and blink in disbelief. The dial tells you the truth—but the thief offers another interpretation. Stealing your surge of motivation, he whispers the magic word—manana—and you reach for a donut to celebrate your philosophy:
Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow.
You face a crucial decision this afternoon. It’s been building up for two weeks. You’ve ignored it, dodged it, postponed it—but you must not do so any longer. Today is “D” day. You’ve talked yourself into it. Thirty minutes before the deadline, the thief offers the perfect alibi and back on the shelf goes your decision, growing another day larger.
No piper was better paid. No liar was better respected. No bandit better rewarded.
You name it—he comes out a winner every time even though he’s a hard-core outlaw. He can outtalk any student when it comes to homework. He can outtalk any homemaker when it comes to correspondence. He can outlast any parent when it comes to selling. He has one basic product, and he centers all his energy toward that single goal: defeat. By the sheer genius of suggestion, he becomes the epitome of what he destroys: success.
There once lived a politician named Felix. He was a governor during the first century. Before him stood a prisoner named Paul. On two separate occasions, Felix listened to Paul tell his story, presenting in simple terms the matter of faith in Jesus Christ. Felix heard every word but passed off the message with similar comments:
When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case (Acts 24:22).
Go away for the present, and when I find time, I will summon you (Acts 24:25).
The governor heard Paul, but he listened to the thief. He intentionally put off the most significant moment of his life—a decision he will never forget. Never. Why? Because he listened to the wrong counsel. It was only a subtle suggestion. It wasn’t a bold-face lie, like “There is no heaven,” or, “There is no hell.” It was simply, “There is no hurry.” Thereby the grim thief won another victory of defeat.
“How can I win?” you ask. What’s the secret—the formula—for escaping this thief’s intimidating web? How can I stop the giant from breaking and entering?
It’s really very simple…so simple you won’t believe it. All it takes is one word, perhaps the easiest word to utter in our language. Properly used, that single syllable carries more weight than a ton of good intentions. The thief cannot endure the sound of it. It sends him fleeing in frustration. If you use it often enough, he might get tired of hearing it—and start leaving you alone.
Curious? I’ll make you a deal. I’ll tell you the word if you promise to use it next time you’re tempted to listen to the fast-talking embezzler. I have a warning, however. It may be easy to say—but it will require all the discipline you can muster to mean. To implement it will demand, in fact, the power of God Himself. The word is “Now.”
Deepening Your Roots
Proverbs 14:23; Proverbs 31:10-31; Ephesians 5:14-17
Branching Out
1. List two one-day projects you’ve put off doing:
1.
2.
2. Don’t take on any new project until you’ve completed those you’ve put off.
3. Write a letter today to someone you’ve been meaning to write to for months—maybe even years. Do it now.
Growing Strong Goodbye procrastination. Hello accomplishment. It’s been a super week! Excited about what you got done? Me too. What pleases you the most as you think back over the tasks you finished?
