Saturday, July 12, 2008

A Lesson in Procrastination.

The Procrastinator-
Procrastination is a type of behavior which is characterized by deferment of actions or tasks to a later time....

Related words:
  • Delay
  • Postpone
  • Adjourn
  • Defer
Most of us have at one time been called a procrastinator. Maybe it was around Christmastime when you delayed buying gifts for your friends and family. This could apply to birthdays and anniversaries also.
Procrastination can happen in many situations. I easily procrastinate the task of cleaning my room. Every time I walk in there and see the monster mess, I just say to myself, "I will do it later." Wikipedia defined procrastination as a behavior. So it's my behavior? I had never thought of it that way before. Of course I always end up cleaning my room at a time I least expected to.
Like all of a sudden I "feel" like cleaning my room when I turn on the radio and hear my favorite song. O.k. so does that mean that the song triggered my behavior to start the clean-up? Who knows. I found out that I can't possibly clean my room without having music playing (and it needs to be loud).
That was a little bit of a rabbit trail, so let's get back to talking about procrastination.
The "cleaning my room" ordeal isn't very important at this point. What do you think if I told you that you are a procrastinator if you didn't read your Bible this morning. This applies to someone who meant to do so. Yea, sure you are going to make up for it tonight...right? You are going to lay there in your bed, half asleep trying to stay awake....and trying to focus on the Scripture. It's not easy to do that. That's not the best way to study the Bible when you are half asleep, trust me. Why do you think we go to church on Sunday mornings, and not at 10 at night. Sure there is still the ones who can't stay awake even during the morning service, so maybe they should consider not saying up so late on Saturday night.
I am the procrastinator. I admit it. Yes, this post is about me. Surprised? Some may be, others maybe not. But, I have a strong feeling that I am not alone.
Can being consistent be so hard? When will it become a "habit" instead of a "chore"? I hate to put it that way, but sometimes that's the way I am. It's like one of those check lists things. You write it down so that it won't be forgotten, but never to be accomplished.
Tell yourself it will be done, you still have time. You have all day to do that!!! No, you don't. The day is gone. Once again. You're time is up and wasted. That hurts, right? It's supposed to.
When I was little, I hated brushing my teeth. It seems absurd now, but I remember the days when, "If mom doesn't tell me to brush my teeth, I don't think I'll bother". I'm sure that was torture to anyone I talked to the next day, but hey it was one less chore. I payed for it with some cavities.
What's the consequence of not spending quality time with the Lord? It's way worse than a tooth ache. I'm not exactly talking about where you will spend eternity.....I'm speaking to the Christians here.
Don't you want to know the One you serve on a personal level? I know how it is, it feels like He can be so far from reach at times. That's a natural side effect from you ignoring Him, not Him ignoring you. And don't ever forget that. I'm literally preaching to myself right now, seriously. I needed to hear that. If you suddenly just remembered your New Year's resolution, well I did too.
Procrastination, can come in many forms. Some are more crucial than others.

5 comments:

Jeremy said...

Well, thanks alot! Now you made me feel bad for not cleaning my room! lol. But really. You are right. We NEED to read our bibles everyday! We shouldn't read it because we're expected to. We should read cause' we WANT to.

SuperAngel said...

Awesome! This is such a great article. I have been procrastinating a lot lately with writing my GGM articles. I also wait and wait to clean my room til its way too messy!

Thanks for these thoughts to ponder on!

yep you gotta love those Littles even when they are sugar and are totally spice! :)

Thanks for the sweet words about the close up! lol!

Love ya!
Amanda
http://superangelsblog.com

Jordan Bethany said...

Hi Holly.

Thanks for your comment. I am really REALLY enjoying getting to know you. The blessing of christian fellowship is something I really take for granted. That is only one of many things the Lord is teaching me this week:-)

Procrastination is something I really struggle with....defiently near the top of the long list of things I need to work on....Reading Jeremy's comment I agree with him. Whenever the debate about the whole thing about "doing good works doesnt lead to heaven" I always think that a true christian will WANT to stand out....will WAnt to read the Bible....will WANT to do good works and so on....If we really have the Holy Spirit working inside us than it will show through.


Do you like jewelry? Long or short neclaces? Do you make jewelry? Sorry its totally off subject..but I was just curious.

I am so excited because I mean't someone at camp who plays the viola and he is willing to play with me next week. I've never played with a violist before and he sounds like he will be really good so I am looking forward to that:-)

Hope you are doing well. Do you have a Yahoo Messenger username?
If so mine is jordanamedick if you want to be friends:-)
Love,
Jordan

Jordan Bethany said...

I'll get back home next Saturday sometime:-) i'll look forward to talking to you again then. Have a great week!

Love,
Jordan

Joyce said...

Hi Holly,
This post reminded of a book I'm re-reading for the 2nd or 3rd time: Mark CaHill "One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven". He says when it comes to witnessing (or this can apply to prayer, Bible reading, church attendance or a host of other situations) we have the mentality that we "got" to do it when we should be thinking we "get" to do it. What a priviledge it should be to "get" to witness, hear directly from God through His Word, have sweet communion with Him on a daily basis.
It is so easy to become side-tracked and lose our focus.
Excellent post Ms. Holly.
Love you lots,