Wednesday, August 18, 2010 | |
Why Do I Procrastinate? | |
Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. James 4:17 (NIV)
The Bible has a lot to say about procrastination. Just take a minute to read today's verse and really let it sink in. I know the things I ought to do and I don't do them. And I know the things I shouldn't do and I do those. But I procrastinate on the things I really want to change in my life. Why? The Bible says you procrastinate for one of five reasons. 1. Indecision. "A double minded man is unstable in all he does." (James 1:8 LB) Have you ever sent a waiter away at a restaurant because you couldn't make up your mind? Indecision causes you to postpone buying a car, choosing a college, getting married, buying new clothes, changing a job. 2. Perfectionism. "If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done!" (Ecclesiastes 11:4 LB) If you wait for things to be perfect, you're going to wait a long time. You don't have the time or the money for things to be perfect. 3. Fear. "The fear of man is a trap." (Proverbs 29:25 LB) Have you been postponing going to the dentist? Or having that needed surgery? Or getting into marriage counseling? Sharing your faith at work? Ask yourself, "What am I afraid of?" 4. Anger. "A lazy person is as bad as someone who is destructive." (Proverbs 18:9 GNT) Procrastination is a way to get back at people we don't like. We delay. Kids are great at procrastination. You ask them to clean up their room. They do it but they take so long doing it. One of the reasons may be that they're resisting your control. Procrastination is passive resistance. I don't want to do it because I don't like you telling me to do what I have to do. Anger causes us to put things off. 5. Laziness. "Lazy people want much but get little, while the diligent are prospering." (Proverbs 13:4 LB) One of the most popular words in America is "easy." If it's easy, we like it. If it's hard, we don't like it. Can you imagine a best seller titled, "Ten Difficult Steps to Change Your Life" or "Fifteen Difficult Ways to Get in Shape"? If it's easy, we like it. If it's hard, we don't like it. The next time you find yourself procrastinating, stop and ask yourself why. Then ask God to help you overcome it so you can move forward and do what you need to do. |
Thursday, August 19, 2010 | |
There is a cost to procrastination | |
A lazy person has trouble all through life. Proverbs 15:19 (LB)
When you procrastinate you're saying one of two things to yourself, "It's easier to avoid this than to face it" and that's wrong. The other one is "It will be easier to handle this tomorrow (or later)" and that's wrong too. The Bible tells us that there is a cost to procrastination. Procrastination causes problems -- The Good News translation of today's verse says, "If you're lazy you'll meet difficulty everywhere." There was a time when I would frequently run out of gas. I'd watch the gas gauge going down, but I'd keep thinking, It's not convenient to fill up right now. I'll get to it later. And I always paid for it! It was always worse than if I had just stopped to take the time to fill up with gas. How many home repairs have you been putting off? You know they're getting worse. One day you may go home to find something like the roof has fallen in! Because you let it get worse. Procrastination takes a problem and makes it a crisis. The longer you wait to start, the harder it becomes to begin. Procrastination wastes opportunities -- "If you won't plow in the cold, you won' eat at harvest." (Proverbs 20:4 LB) When opportunity knocks, open the door! Take the advantage while you've got it. If you don't, you'll miss it. Procrastination hurts people -- Laziness prevents us from being loving. Love requires commitment, energy, and work. A lot of people just don't want to work at being loving; it's easier to be lazy. Many marriages break up because the root cause is laziness. Both partners knew exactly what needed to be done to make the marriage work but one spouse -- perhaps both spouses - are unwilling to make the effort necessary to save the marriage. Procrastination causes problems with our children too. Lazy parents produce problem kids. How many times do we know the kids need to be disciplined but, because we're tired, we don't do it? For instance, we ask our kids to do something or clean something up and they resist. Rather than making an issue of it, we say, "Forget it! I'll do it myself." It's easier to give in than to discipline. Prayerfully consider the price you may be paying for procrastination? |
Friday, August 20, 2010 | |
The cure for procrastination | |
"There is nothing I cannot master with the help of Christ who gives me strength." Phil 4:13 (JB)
The Bible gives us five actions we can take to stop procrastinating. 1. Stop making excuses -- "The lazy man is full of excuses." (Proverbs 22:13 LB) 2. Start today -- Not next month, next week, or tomorrow. "Never boast about tomorrow. You don't know what will happen between now and then." (Proverbs 21:1 GNT) None of us is guaranteed a tomorrow. I want you to write down three things you know God wants you to do, one item each these three areas: your family, your personal life, and your career. Choose one of those three and decide to start today. Even if you can only work on your goal fifteen minutes a day, do it - you'll feel so much better! 3. Establish a planned schedule -- Proverbs 13:16 says, "A wise man plans ahead. A fool doesn't." (LB) If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail. You need to designate some specific time slots each week for the things you need to do. Whatever it is, put it on your calendar. And if it's a big task, break it down into small pieces. Break it into bite sized pieces. 4. Face your fears -- We hate to admit we have fears because we think they're a sign of weakness. But fear is a sign of humanity. Only fools are not afraid. You've heard it said, "Courage is not the absence of fear, it's moving ahead in spite of our fears." The Bible says here is nothing you cannot master with the help of Christ who gives you strength. 5. Focus on what you gain, not the pain -- There are very few things in life that are easy. You must push through the frustration and look at the gain beyond the pain. Concentrate on how good you're going to feel once you've finished the task. Galatians 6:9 says, "So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we reap a harvest." (NLT) Don't ask, "What do I feel like doing?" Instead ask, "What does God want me to do?" Jesus never said life would be easy. There will be sacrifice and commitment. But there is tremendous reward when we do the things he calls us to do. |