[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 11/Apr/2021]
It might not be something you’ve ever done……and if so you might struggle to understand such behaviour, but I have to confess that I can be a dreadful procrastinator…..there, I’ve told you now.
Procrastination can be defined as “intentionally putting off doing something until tomorrow that should be done today”. It is nothing to do with laziness, lack of self-control or even poor time management but it is more about the delay in starting or finishing a task, and is often against our better judgement. Our intentions are good and we know that we really should start that essay/report (or YOURS article!), pay that bill, answer that tricky email, go to the doctor or clear out our wardrobe. But instead we delay and distract ourselves with other, arguably more pleasant tasks. The problem then being that we put ourselves under unnecessary pressure, causing stress, which can leave us feeling anxious, inadequate or overwhelmed.
Psychologists suggest people (unconsciously) procrastinate because they are afraid of failing at the tasks they need to complete, or cannot see the immediate benefit of starting something (exercise for example). Yep, that’s me. I am comforted by the realisation that procrastination is a pretty common behaviour and thankfully for most of us it is only transitory so we need to be quick to forgive ourselves & not get too hung up about it. (Romans 8:1) Amen.
So why share this ‘confession’ with you? And what has it got to do with our walk with Jesus and our faith?
Well, if we think about our relationships rather than tasks, putting off something for another day might be an easier choice for us but detrimental to both parties in the long run. Is there someone we’ve put off making contact with, someone we need to forgive or say sorry to? Have we actually said “I love you” to the person we assume knows it? Have we allowed work or hobbies to get in the way of quality time together?
Or is there a decision you are putting off? Like taking necessary time out to relax & switch off? Or joining a new group, or volunteering to help with something? However big or small, you see, these decisions they do matter. It might even be recognising your need for Jesus today and committing to follow Him … or deciding to be baptised? Is this the gentle nudge you needed?
My prayer for us all is that we are quickly able to identify when we are putting off things that need our attention today. Thank God that He is patient and loves us unconditionally, despite ourselves. We will not fail with Jesus. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
He has made us good enough by dying & rising again. We have new life & new hope because of Him. May we be wise to that truth every day of our lives. Amen
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Contributed by Sarah Bell; © the Author
