It Had to Be Me – Abide in the Vine  

Sometimes, former procrastinators, we need to back up.  What we may be doing wrong is thinking wrong.  Wrong thinking leads to wrong behavior.  That’s the reason my first procrastination talk focuses on recognizing procrastination in our lives and recognizing that God has opinions about it.  We do not jump into how to fix things that we do not see. The next few weeks, we’ll take note of our thinking.

For years, I tried so hard to change and got nowhere.  I was often quick to blame others or circumstances.  Finally, though I could not see how I was wrong, I did accept that the fault had to lie with me. 

When I accepted responsibility for my actions, God then began to show me my wrong thinking.  Thinking determined how I acted

Scripture and my parents spoke to me about tardiness. My mother told me to get dressed before doing other things.  Instead of heeding her advice, I clung to my way – work fast, do a lot. I developed a strong sense that I had to accomplish a list of things before leaving the house.  I’d work my list in my pj’s and “move some mountains.” When time came to leave, I still had to dress.  Wrong thinking.  You can leave dirty dishes in the sink, but you do have to have clothes on to leave the house.

Are you down on yourself about procrastination?  Do you berate yourself for tardiness or for putting off work you need to do?  It’s easy to shame ourselves and determine to do better while having no strength or insight for permanent improvement.  Especially if we’re rejecting the insight we need. We think we have to supply all that change requires. Is that abiding in the Vine?

Please take heart!  Procrastination is changeable.  That’s one of the joys of being a Christian.  The Holy Spirit convicts of what needs addressing, AND He enables us to change by providing His power and strength.  He works the change through us.  It’s a big part of abiding in the Vine.  Romans 8:29 lets us know God created us intending to change us.  It’s normal to need to change.  It’s part of belonging to a God who loves us as we are and loves us so much that He will not leave us as poor reflections of Christ.  He has many blessings for us in change.

If your husband or family gets annoyed with you for being habitually late, there might be something wrong in your thinking.  Observe yourself.  Make no defense, just examine what you did and when you did it. Watch for patterns.

Ask family and trusted friends to share their observations.  Listen with no self-defense.  Get the facts as they see them.  They can likely see what you cannot. Ask the Lord for discernment and courage.  He can reveal the thinking that led to your actions.

Choose an area in which you delay. What thinking precedes your decision?