A Cup of Grace – with a shot of espresso

All my life I have had within me a sensitive little “button.” It’s like the Staples “EASY” button only mine reads “PROCRASTINATE.” My button might even be red since it is sort of a “take it easy” button. Over the years, I have, at different times, consciously worked to desensitize it. In fact, I’ve been pretty proud of my progress.

However, I recently was at a conference and was challenged to come to terms with that button. The speaker, almost as a sidebar, said “Whatever God calls you to do, do it quickly.” Oh, the words resonated in my heart and mind.  They weren’t even a part of the outline of the talk, but that, above all else, stuck with me. 

There are certain things that activate my procrastination button. If I don’t LIKE doing something, I will put it off. I used to hate emptying the dishwasher. (I am well aware that attaching any negative emotion to this task is silly and could even be considered ungrateful.)I would hand-wash dishes just to not take the 5 minutes to empty the dishwasher. (I am in no way claiming that this makes any rational sense, yet I know I have comrades in arms who do the same thing.)

If a task makes me uncomfortable, I am sorely tempted to put it off. I find all sorts of “legitimate” tasks to take its place. I will even choose to tackle the chore I don’t like in order to not do the one that makes me uncomfortable. I have used this method when needing to make a phone call to a utility company or some other phone tree entity. Suddenly, the laundry must be started, the dishwasher emptied, the chickens fed, and… let’s see what else can I do before the day is over. Is it finally now too late to make the call? Well, shoot.

When I was a child, I finally learned that hot cooked broccoli was better than cold cooked broccoli. Eating what I considered the “worst thing on my plate” first was far better than saving it for last. Unfortunately, many years passed before I applied that to other situations in my life.

Several years ago I finally adopted Nike’s slogan “Just do it”. This has yielded some positive results in my life. I have learned that the anticipation of an uncomfortable or unpleasant task is generally far worse than the actual task. And the relief of crossing it off the “need to do” list always brings a sense of accomplishment with it. I have seen growth. I am far more likely to attack these types of tasks now.

However, though I am better in this area, there is still work to be done. Which is why the speaker’s words struck a nerve. The other procrastination “trigger” for me is when I am unsure of how to go about something. A prime example of this is the youth group at our church. I am on the youth committee and even teach a class on Wednesday nights. But when it comes to planning and carrying out activities, I fail. I put it off. “I don’t know what to do,” I’ll tell God. I’ve even said, “Lord, lead me,” but when I don’t get a blueprint plan in my lap, the whole thing gets pushed to the back burner. “We really need to do something,” is as far as the thinking gets before I move on to the next thought or task. 

There are times in scripture where God calls someone to a task and gives them detailed instructions on how to carry it out. Noah’s ark assignment came with measurements, type of wood and exactly what waterproof material to use. The battle of Jericho came with a specific, though odd, battle plan.

However, there were also times that God’s call didn’t come with detailed instructions. The recipient had to step out and move not knowing exactly what God was going to do. Abraham was told to leave the safety of the family compound. He packed up and moved without knowing precisely where he was going. Moses only received pieces of God’s instruction at a time when going before Pharaoh. A widow used the last of her oil and flour in a time of drought to feed Elijah. She had no idea how God would provide or even that He would. 

Sometimes God gives us a clear idea of exactly what we should be doing. Even then, if the call is uncomfortable, we’ll pretend we don’t know exactly how to do it.

God – “Share the gospel with your friend.”

Us – “But Lord, I don’t know how to start that conversation. That’s kind of awkward, don’t you think? I’ll just wait for them to ask.”

Still us – “What if they ask a question I can’t answer? I have to learn more before I can do that.”

Still us – “I’m going to make them uncomfortable, and that’s no way to witness. I’ll wait for it to come up naturally in conversation.”

Still us – “I’ll just live really well so they can see You through me. Won’t that do it?”

Every excuse is just that, an excuse. Every excuse has the same result: disobedience.

Is there anything you have ever felt God’s nudge to do? Two or three times over the course of my life, I have felt sure He said “write.” I would start but quickly fall into “I don’t know what to write.” (Let me remind you that I am a former high school English teacher, so I have heard this form of procrastination from my students!) I KNOW the answer: write anyway. This is even truer when it comes to obeying God. 

Here’s the thing, God is fully aware of my shortcomings and limitations. When I procrastinate obedience to Him because of those, I am saying in essence, “I don’t trust You.” “You have made a mistake in asking me to do this thing.” Or, “It’s not that important to me.” (Ouch!)

What would happen if I simply took a step forward. Remember your middle school science, Newton’s First Law of Motion? A shortened version of it is: A body at rest will remain at rest. A body in motion will remain in motion. If you are moving forward in order to obey, I believe that God will gladly direct your steps. However, if you stay “seated”, He will either enact more force to pressure you to move, or (worse) He will let you stay put. 

God is a compassionate God who understands us. He frequently gives us multiple chances at obedience.(He does not OWE us this!) He may call again and again, but at some point, we “win.” We get our way, never really understanding the depth of our loss. When we fail to obey, we lose out on the opportunity of seeing God work through us and in spite of us. We lose the blessing of His pleasure in us. We lose the growth that could have occurred within us. But an even more sobering thought is what have we cost others because of our hesitation, our discomfort, our fear, our hardness of heart. 

So here I am at the beginning of a new year. I think I have found my motto for this year: “Whatever God calls you to do, do it quickly.” This will not be easy for me. God will have to unbend me. I am very likely to fail repeatedly throughout the year. My hope is that in sharing this with you, I will have made myself accountable. My prayer is that He will continue to faithfully convict me and allow me to try again. 

So, again, I ask. What is God calling you to do? How will you answer?