#WCW = We Can Wednesday: When We Procrastinate...

As I sit and write these words, I am laughing at myself.  This morning it was on my heart to write about procrastination and what we do to ourselves when we delay our goals and dreams.  Well... then my day got started and I, um er, procrastinated in writing this piece.  Here I am now, it's late and technically almost Thursday, and I am just now sitting down to write a We Can Wednesday post.  Better late than never, but got to do better (is that a rhyme?).  As always, I minister to myself as I share with you.  So let's get this started...

Procrastination is the enemy of forward movement.  By it's very definition, "to postpone or delay", the word itself indicates that someone has made the decision to NOT do what they are supposed to be doing.  Why do we procrastinate?  Everyone has their reasons.  I procrastinate on the simplest things, like opening up my mail or shaving my legs, not because I don't want to, I just don't want to do it right now.

But what happens when we deliberately postpone or delay our goals and dreams?  Poet Langston Hughes asked the question, "What happens to a dream deferred?".  Well, I believe that our dreams, visions, ideas, and goals are placed in our hearts by God with the expectation that we will see them to fruition.  He has given us everything we need in order to live an abundant, productive life.  It is our task to take what we have been given; our abilities, experiences, and lessons learned, to make something happen.  

I think of the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), where a master gives his servants money (talents) with the expectation that they will use them to create more in his absence.  One servant did not take the opportunity to use his talent, returning the same amount of money that he was originally given, thus angering his master.  This is a paraphrase, but when we procrastinate and have excuses, we are like the slothful servant who is entrusted with an opportunity but squanders it and produces nothing.  He forfeits his inheritance because he decided that taking a chance to achieve greatness was not important.  God knows what we are capable of accomplishing in this life, so when we do not take advantage of our abilities, we are disappointing our Creator who placed those gifts inside of us.  

So here is something to think about: 

What goals are you putting off?  What opportunities are you overlooking?  What can you do today that puts you one step closer to your dream?  

Stop deferring your dream.  Get started right now.  

Love, 

Tev