By Rachel Loe, February 5, 2024

Time is one of the great equalizers in life. We all have the same number of hours in the day and days in the year. Today’s world has spoiled us with an expectation of immediate gratification, which can bleed into our work ethic. If it is not easy to accomplish or yield results rapidly, it is common to either put it off or not do it all together. Last week, I touched on hyperproductive people who place their value and worth in success and doing everything of their own strength. This week, I will discuss the other end of the spectrum: procrastination. Why do we do it, and what is the correct mindset to shift into in order to avoid it?  

Work is something that has been a part of God’s plan for this world since before the fall. He put man in the garden to work and tend it. Work became “toil” due to the fall and sin entering the world (Genesis 3:17-19). Procrastination is now the broken reaction to not wanting to do something that is not immediately enjoyable. Scripture is full of calls to action and not putting off till tomorrow. Ecclesiastes 11:4 ESV says, “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” Hebrews 12:11 ESV says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” So many more passages have a similar theme. The common thread is that we must do everything we do as unto the Lord. When we procrastinate, we miss out on not just the time lost and the stress of getting the task done on time, but we also are not working as unto the Lord. 

So how can we employ diligence without saying, “just do it”? As Christians, the Lord has told us to come to Him for everything. This includes prayer for sanctification and diligence. Ask the Lord to equip you for the tasks He has appointed for you to do. Do everything to the best of your ability while realizing that the result is ultimately in His hands. Additionally, search scripture. I quoted some passages earlier, but there are so many more. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are filled with good instruction and verses on diligence. The people whom God used in scripture (Moses, David, Ruth, Peter, Paul, etc.) were not the people the world would have picked, but they obeyed God, and He used their work to glorify His name. 

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9 ESV).