Proverbs 3:27-28

Mark Twain, the American writer, said: “Never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well.” I suspect that we can all identify things that we love to put off. It may be an essay, or our tax return or repairing a door hinge, and we just love the idea of following Mark Twain’s advice and giving ourselves one more day. But there are some things that mustn’t be delayed. The writer of Proverbs identifies our need to help our neighbour as soon as we see their need. The significance of the help that the Good Samaritan gave was that it was immediate (Luke 10:25-37). He saw the need and he acted.

I would be fascinated to know what you are inclined to procrastinate about. There is no doubt that many things can be put off very effectively to another day. We certainly cannot do everything today. But there are some things that should not be put off. When we receive a cry for help from a friend or neighbour timing might be crucial. As a general rule it has been wisely said that procrastination makes easy things hard and hard things harder.

The things we all tend to procrastinate about are the tasks that we find difficult or disagreeable. For example, talking things through with someone who is angry with us or working on a document or speech that we know will not be well received. But the simple wisdom of Proverbs needs to live with us. If we can act now then that’s what we should do, however demanding and difficult it might be.

Question
What are you inclined to procrastinate about? Think of a specific example and work out a better course of action.

Prayer
Lord God, forgive me for those times when I procrastinate because of laziness or fear. Help me to act speedily to help those in need. Amen

Released on 20 Nov 2023