It’s not good to procrastinate, but still we do it. It’s a bad habit like eating too many cookies, having drive-thru dinner, or lounging instead exercising. Limiting or eliminating procrastination is a lesson I’ve learned too often the hard way, yet it still ensnares me. It’s time for purging procrastination and replacing it with something better while encouraging each other and our children to do the same.
Procrastination’s poison spreads rapidly into many different areas of our lives. But there IS an antidote-obedience. Continuing our #HolidayWellnessHabits acronym theme, our O habit is Obedience as it’s the cure not only for procrastination but many undesirable habits. It also paves the way to wellness.
Why Obedience
Obedience often is misunderstood as being the opposite of free, independent action. It’s frowned upon and we who choose to obey are considered wrong or weak. But obedience, especially to God’s ways, frees us to be exactly who our Creator made us to be. It sets guardrails, boundaries, and provides a framework to follow. It’s not constricting us, it’s directing us. It’s GPS-God’s Positioning System.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~Jeremiah 29:11
God gave the first directions to Adam and Eve and we all know how that worked out. Ever since, we have balked at being told to obey. But let’s try to imagine God’s plan for our obedience. He is a good God, who created us not to have us simply obey His every command, but because He loves us and wants us to live in communion with Him.
To that end, He gives directions for right living in the Bible. We have the free will to either obey or not, but He clearly defines what will happen when we don’t follow Him. If you’re a parent, you understand. How often have you said aloud, to your spouse or just to yourself, “why won’t they just obey me?”
We know by our own experience or wisdom what is right or wrong. As parents, we teach and expect our children to obey. When they don’t, it can be maddening! Not because we’re on a power trip and only want our children to obey us, but because we love them. We are trying to spare them pain, conflict, or any other bad situation which can come from not following our directions.
Yet still they disobey. Maybe it’s toddler/teenage rebellion. Or it’s because they want to see what will happen, desire more independence, or are lazy and don’t want to do what we say. Regardless of the reason, the result is often the same. Opportunities or deadlines get missed, someone gets hurt or worse. We just wish they would’ve obeyed us!
God probably feels the same way.
He probably feels even worse since He knows everything and doesn’t have our limited, human vision of this world. Nonetheless, we are just like our children. We know we should eat healthy to take care of our body God calls a temple. We know we should worship fully instead of zoning out or sleeping in. We know we should exercise our minds and bodies and use our talents to please Him and help others. Yet we don’t or we procrastinate.
So we return to the antidote-obedience. We need to just obey the guidelines God has given in the Bible. There’s instruction on life, worship, relationships, and finances to name just a few. But society’s view and the enemy’s lies regarding the Bible and God’s commands continually chip away at our resolve. We’re distracted, confused, and led astray from God’s best by the ways of this world.
It’s time to just say no to procrastination and yes to obedience in living God’s way.
Purging Procrastination
- Stop and Start. Stop putting it off and start putting one foot in front of the other toward what we need to do, whatever that is, right now!
- Regroup & Revise. Once the crisis of finishing the first step passes, it’s time to evaluate what works and what doesn’t. Be critical. Identify the things, habits, or distractions that tempt to steal us away from obedience to God’s plan for us. Then pinpoint goals and/or beneficial new ways to stay on God’s track.
- Purge and Proceed. Get rid of those items above that either mentally or physically hinder us, and move forward with what helps.
These steps don’t occur all at once and we may have to revisit them often. I have. But obedience to God’s plan and will for our body, mind, and soul is far superior to anything we can imagine. Obedience to our Creator, the One who knows all, isn’t hampering or restrictive. It’s smart and frees us to live and act securely in the will of the One who has the best plan for us.
Purging procrastination living in obedience to God today will help us move forward with God’s plan for our lives. So don’t procrastinate!
(Full disclosure-yes, I procrastinated writing his post! The details and reasons excuses don’t matter. But somehow He still used it for my-and hopefully your-good. Just like He promises!)
“Purge procrastination.” Yes! The older I get the tireder I get, which creates a cycle of procrastination sometimes. Again, a perfect topic for right now, because sometimes I feel like I procrastinate away the holidays. Thank you for sharing this, friend. xoxo
Yes, the fatigue is real as we age! Thanks Brenda for your comments and sharing!