Recognizing Procrastination

Welcome back! I was hoping you’d be here! We should finish my incriminating list.

Yep, there’s more. As our pastor says, “Cheer up! You’re worse than you think.” Indeed I am. But he hastens to add, “And the Good News is better than you think!” Indeed it is! The gospel of Jesus Christ speaks to my issues in a glorious way!

To experience the glory of the gospel as applied to my procrastination, I need to face my issue.

Prompted by my first list, did you consider ways that procrastination shows up in your life? What particular habit do you feel the need to address? For years the one I felt the most was tardiness – being late going places.

Here are more ways the bent to procrastinate revealed itself in my life:

• Increased difficulties because of delay getting help (Ex: I didn’t ask an older, wiser woman for help as a wife or request a friend’s help with projects.)
• Neglected courtesies such as gifts, thank you’s or returns (Ex: I flinch when I see a friend whose book I still have.)
• Extra money spent unnecessarily (Ex: at the post office for rush mail)
• Crisis situations that could have been avoided (Ex: If I’d done the errands yesterday, I would not be putting my husband in a bind with the car today.)
• Failure to give thoughtful attention to serious matters (Ex. What does scripture say about our child’s relationship with that friend? Should we speak up?)
• Lack of outreach to others in spite of God’s prompting (Ex: Since I was always behind, I never felt like I could do something “extra.”)
• Lack of rest (Ex: Fear, guilt, and regret kept me awake at night, worried about the consequences of my delays.)

This week, let’s be alert to the possibility that there might be other ways procrastination is an influence in our lives besides the ways we’re keenly aware of. Could you share any additional ways you now notice that you had not recognized before? There’s Good News ahead!