Sunday, January 5, 2020

ARE YOU A PROCRASTINATOR?


ARE YOU A PROCRASTINATOR?
I was in the scissor lift 30 feet in the air, painting stripes on the ceiling of a new casino. I had to get the stripes painted in between two beams, and there was one small space that was hard to reach. I procrastinated. I could barely see it well enough and if I stretched out from the lift, I could do it. But---

I thought, maybe I could get a better chance at it from the other side of the column — bad decision. I moved the lift around the column and got as close as I could, took the lift up the 30 feet, and I couldn’t reach that one little spot. Shoot!

You guessed it. I had to go back down, drive the lift around to where I was before, maneuver it into the tight opening without hitting the column, go back into the air the 30 feet, stretch out over the edge of the railing and paint stripes on a piece of ceiling that was no bigger than six inches by six inches!

That experience made a lasting impression, and the mental video runs in my head whenever I am in a similar situation in my painting and other categories as well.

If we can see it now and think we can reach it, do it now. Challenging? Yes. But definitely worth it. It’s not fun to go backward and waste time trying to do something we could have done the first time. And besides that, if we hesitate and balk at opportunities in life, there’s a chance they may not come around for us again.

Ephesians 5:15-16 says: “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” The word “circumspectly” comes from a Greek word that means “exactly and diligently.” 

We’ve all experienced the rush of starting off being diligent on eating right or exercising or any other great project, but then we burn out down the road.

The only way we can be diligent consistently is by allowing Christ to take an intimate role in our lives every day. True and lasting diligence is supernatural. 

Jesus Christ will be coming back to gather those who believe in Him, and we don’t know when that will be.  “But of that [exact] day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone” (Matt. 24:36).

No second chances after He comes. No time to go back and do things over again. So if you ever thought you might like to look deeper into the things of the Bible and learn more about God; or if you thought you might, someday, want to find out who Jesus Christ really is, and how He can bless your life, I admonish you to start now.

“Heaven and earth [as now known] will pass away, but My [Jesus’] words will not pass away” (Matt. 24:35).
Don’t be like me on the scissor lift, thinking I would reach that six inches later. Let’s take full advantage of seeking what the Lord presents to us today.

Love, Carolyn

QUESTIONS AND EASY CHALLENGES
1. Cite a situation where you knew you should do something at the moment, but you hesitated or told yourself, “Later would be better.”
2. Do you balk at a lot of things, or are you the type of person that takes bold steps forward? Give an example from your life where you’ve balked and where you’ve taken a brave step forward.
3. According to Ephesians 5:15-16, what do wise people do?
4. True diligence is _____________. (Fill in the blank.)
5. Why don’t we have time to go back? Cite a scripture for this.

FREE DOWNLOAD THRU TUES --- Booklet of stories on the importance of the WORDS we use. If you aren’t on Amazon, then let me know and I will send a free PDF to your email. cjmolica@hotmail.com

USER-FRIENDLY BIBLE PRINCIPLES FOR EVERYDAY LIVING: true life stories of how GOD works to make an ordinary life extraordinary:


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