Overcoming the
Power of Procrastination
April 8, 2002
Several years ago I ran across a short poem by
Gloria Pitzer that expresses a problem every man has. She wrote:
"Procrastination is my sin. It brings me naught but sorrow. I
know that I should stop it. In fact I will . . . tomorrow."
There are few things easier to do than put off
until tomorrow something that should be done today. According to
a popular legend the devil once called a conference with his
most sinister cohorts. The purpose of the meeting was to come up
with a lie they could use to keep people from taking God
seriously. One demon lifted a gnarled finger and said, "I have
it! We could tell them there is no heaven."
The devil shook his head from side to side and
said, "That won't work. There are too many people who already
believe in heaven."
No sooner had those words left his mouth than
another demon blurted out, "Then let's tell them there is no
hell."
Again the devil turned down the suggestion,
insisting too many people had tasted the pain of hell on earth
to believe such a lie.
Finally a third demon smiled and said, "I think
I've got just the lie. We'll tell them there is no hurry."
The devil leaped to his feed and exclaimed,
"Perfect! Everyone will believe that."
For some reason that legend has a spooky ring of
truth to it. I know there are many times when I fall for that
line. And what concerns me most is that it's my relationship
with God where I'm most vulnerable. The relationship that was
the most important to Jesus, and should be to me as well,
usually isn't. I find it awfully easy to put off until tomorrow
a daily meeting with God. Unfortunately, "later' is often just
that—"later."
I know that most men have a similar struggle. Our
days get busy and our minds get cluttered. Yet, as busy as Jesus
was, he never failed to spend time alone with his heavenly
Father. That was one appointment he never put off. Nothing
crowded out that meeting. Nothing! Not family, friends,
teammates, sick people, important decisions, or impending
disaster. The greatest man of all time made a daily meeting with
God his top priority. The bottom line is this: If you want your
public life to be life his, then your private life must be like
His. The more time you spend with God the better you'll know
him; the better you know him the more you'll trust him, the more
you trust him the more you'll tap into his power; the more you
tap into his power the more you'll experience victory and the
more you experience victory the more you'll influence those
around you.
This week—let's follow the Leader—let's make time
with God a daily priority. And let's start today. Not tomorrow!
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