God Will Help You in the Ordinary

Do you sometimes do things during the day that don’t necessarily have to be done because you are trying to avoid something you have to do? Or is that just me?

Procrastinating is the word.

Suddenly you are oh so busy doing some long needed cleaning. The dust that has accumulated on the fans. All the bathmats need soaking and washing thoroughly. The linen cupboard or the pantry needs cleaning out. I used to be very good at this when an assignment or study for university was due.

I have not lost this skill, I found out the other day.

I had a deadline for some writing I had to produce but my mind was a blank so I cleaned instead, knowing full well that I would have to sit at my computer eventually. I was looking for inspiration I told myself.

But alas I could only hold out for so long otherwise I would be responsible for my own actions and get my “reward” accordingly.

No study, generally no good results.

No effort in, generally no effort out.

Now procrastination is not wrong as such but can lead, if you do it too regularly, to inefficiency. It could lead to a habit forming of being irresponsible, laziness even.

Oh, but I’m doing good jobs of cleaning or stuff that needs to be done but I am not honouring my word – if I said I would get it done. I am not honouring the person who I said I would do it for. I was being slack.

I remembered Proverbs 13:4

The appetite of the lazy craves, and gets nothing,
    while the appetite of the diligent is richly supplied.

Prov 13:4 NRSV

Now I was not necessarily being lazy, but it could lead to that long term. I could end up being a sluggard – one who doesn’t prepare, becomes idle. One who often daydreams about what they want but they never attain those goals because they are too lazy to work for them. Or one who is acting as if they are asleep, leaving everything to the last minute because I did not want to face what I had to do. Oh no I could never get to that I think to myself. Really that is not me.

I did not last long before I was at the keyboard, on the laptop punching out sentences.

Still not very motivated by my efforts but compelled by The Holy Spirit to honour my word and so my actions changed accordingly.

Reflecting though upon this avoidance of a chore I am weak. I have put off this aspect for days at a time. I had put off being responsible for some things in my life.

There are a lot of things that we are responsible for in life. We are to be responsible for the way we act toward others. Like we learn in the story of the Good Samaritan who cared for another that He came across. We are called to do what we can do for others we meet in our lives. We are responsible for the way we treat our families. Now I did not say how they treat us. That is Not on us, but how we respond to them is. (1 Tim 5:8) We are responsible to study God’s word. (2 Tim 2:15) And we are responsible for how we handle money. (Heb 13:5)

So, I sucked up “my putting off time” and sat in the chair in front of a blank screen and started. God blessed me with some thoughts and words.

Lesson learnt – Be responsible and trust that God will help you in the ordinary things of your life.  Don’t put things off or delay them. God can equip you with the necessary tools and help you.

What are you responsible for? Where do you sometimes try and stop or delay the inevitable, hoping It will go away?

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What has God asked you to be responsible for?

What have you been putting off? Why have you been delaying?

What can you do trust that God will equip you with what you need to meet your responsibilities?