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Tomorrow Never Comes By Robert Berendt How often have you said, "I'll do it tomorrow," or "I'll think about it tomorrow"?
e humans possess a great propensity for putting things off. Somehow we seem to be oblivious to the stress we put upon ourselves and to the weakness of character that procrastination reveals. I'll be quick to state we can truly be swamped with tasks demanding our attention. Wisdom dictates we prioritize our tasks. But many are so disorganized that the time needed for a task is greatly elongated. Some take extended "coffee breaks" in another form of being slow off the mark. Procrastination, or putting things off, puts us into a bind. We disappoint others and cause unnecessary turmoil. Our second great flaw then yawns its cavernous mouth--we find excuses. We'll make them up, we'll exaggerate and even lie a little, rather than accept the fault and blame and then go and do the right thing. It is agonizing to break a habit that we've grown accustomed to--and so we decide to "start tomorrow." As people have found out for generations--tomorrow never comes.
Putting God first Luke 12:16-21 carries a strong piece of advice for us all. It is the story of the man who worked hard and was successful, but who had his priorities wrong. He did not pay attention to the most important questions... "What is life all about? Why have I been born? What is my destiny?" (Our free booklet will guide you to the answers). God says the man was a fool because he was not rich towards God. He did not plan for eternal life. He put plans off until another day. I always wondered why scientists, who strive to understand the laws governing physical things and who have discovered that a brilliant mind must be behind all that we see, are not 100 percent concerned about the most obvious question. If God does exist, what does He require of me? It is amazing when mankind's greatest minds have been able to simply avoid the obvious conclusions and thus the most vital questions. Plan for tomorrow
Matthew 25:1-13 records Jesus' parable of the ten virgins. Five were foolish and put off the right preparations. When the time came, they were unprepared and thus lost a great deal. This lesson is written for our admonition. In the story, one can see the five foolish virgins frantically trying to correct their error--they were under stress. The five who had prepared were full of joy and pleasant anticipation. The Bible does tell us that Christ will return suddenly (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3). The clear message is to be ready at all times.
Setting priorities When Jesus said to "seek first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33), He gave the first and foremost goal for all mankind. The search and goal includes the obligations we have to family, friends, careers and ourselves. It is one package. Some have made the mistake of thinking they can be hermits and only look out for themselves. I spoke to a man recently who said, "as long as I make it into heaven, that is all I care about." We talked a little and I was able to explain to him that with that attitude he would not make it at all. (Not that heaven is the right goal, as our free booklet explains.) We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. Loving our fellow man means wanting all men to be saved - to have eternal life. That is why Jesus Christ's blood was given (John 3:16), and that is the aim and purpose God has ever before Him (1 Timothy 2:4). He agreed! In our busy lives, we always seem to have too much to do. Sometimes people struggle so hard to complete everything that they break down mentally. We call it a nervous breakdown, and it is the mind and body telling us that we are far beyond overload. Wisdom should tell us to back off from overloading ourselves. The priorities should be God first, followed by family, career or work, involvement in church and with friends, and personal goals like hobbies, etc. How do we define enough? What is enough prayer? What is "quality time"? How do we balance our career with loving our mates? No one method suits everyone, but do yourself a favor and take the time to stand back and evaluate yourself before your health or other problems force you into an evaluation. Itemize your tasks and prioritize them. Not only will you find success, but you will also find peace of mind. Don't put it off until tomorrow--do it today. Copyright 2003 by United Church of God, an International Association All rights reserved. |
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