Pro Cras

Brace yourselves; I am about to talk about something that I myself am very guilty of doing. It's a concept called PROCRASTINATION. Interestingly enough, while I was taking Latin a few years ago, I learned the two root words that make up this word, "pro" which means "for" and "cras"which means "tomorrow". It makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Every time I want to procrastinate, I literally think, "I'll do this tomorrow."

Those Ancient Romans were pretty smart, weren't they?

When we hear this word, we usually assume that it has to do with putting off some type of schoolwork or housework (that's what I think, anyway). But, has it ever occurred to you that we can procrastinate in our faith as well? Often times, God will speak to us, inspiring us to do something that will draw us closer to him or make life better for us. His commands to us all boil down to one decision, saying yes to this offer or saying no because we refuse to change. Yet somehow, we make the choice a little more complicated than a yes or no decision. That crafty, sly guy known as Satan has managed to add a third option: procrastination. Instead of obeying God immediately when we obviously hear His voice through his word or some other means, this third option comes up and says, "ehh, don't worry about making that hard decision today. Just do it tomorrow."

I remember experiencing this at a retreat I went to last fall. After listening to many amazing speakers at this particular retreat, I was very inspired to start consistently reading my Bible every morning and night. As I listened to the speakers urge us to start having daily devotionals, my mind went on this weird little trip in which I imagined myself serenely sitting in my treehouse every morning, watching the sun rise above the trees picturesquely with my pink Bible open on my lap and my journal beside it filled with deep, spiritual insight.

 Ha, yeah, right. The moment my feet set foot in my room the very night I returned from the retreat, the crafty sly guy whispered in my ear, "You can start your Bible reading adventure tomorrow, dearie." (I added the "dearie" part because I imagine Satan to sound a little like Rumpelstiltskin from Once Upon a Time). 

After going for several months without consistent Bible reading, I realized a very simple fact: tomorrow will never come. In fact, trying to aim to do something tomorrow that you could do today is like being a dog that chases its own tail; you'll never reach it, even though its right in front of your nose. 

The Bible actually warns us about this folly in James. It says,

"Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." 

James 4:13-14

Let me explain the context. James is telling us that we have no clue what is going to happen tomorrow, or even later today. So what does this mean when it comes to procrastination? Well, it means that we must do what God is calling us to do NOW, because we have no idea what might happen next. What if tomorrow is so busy that you never have a chance to do what you wanted to do? You never know; that's why it's good to do what you are being told to do right now. 

First time obedience. 

So, now, since it's extremely late, I think I'm going to go and read my Bible before I go to sleep :)