by Charles Ligon
James 4:17 says “anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins”.
It’s funny how I don’t like folding sheets but don’t mind folding towels. Every time I do the laundry, I set the sheets aside and fold the towels first. In fact, I normally leave the sheets for my wife to do, and she is half my size. The truth is I procrastinate with the sheets because, for me, it is a difficult task and my perfectionist nature gets in the way. Workplace tasks are like folding towels and sheets. Towels are the easy tasks and the sheets the more difficult ones.
It’s true, sometimes we have to do things at work we don’t like to do…things that cause us to procrastinate. Why is that and what does the Bible say about procrastination, “an act to willfully delay doing something that should be done”? There are many reasons we put things off. We procrastinate because we’re indecisive. James 1:8 says "A double minded man is unstable in all he does." Or, we could be a perfectionist (that’s me!). Ecclesiastes 11:4 says "If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done!" Sometimes we delay things because of fear. Proverbs 29:25 says “The fear of man is a trap." Perhaps we put things off because we are plain lazy. Proverbs 13:4 says "Lazy people want much but get little, while the diligent are prospering."
Regardless of the workplace task and its level of difficulty, the cure for procrastination is diligence. Christians at work must be diligent because we are ultimately serving the Lord (Colossians 3:23). If we serve “as unto the Lord”, we are less likely to put off the workplace assignments we don’t like.
Your workplace challenge is to identify what you postpone and the reason you are doing it? Then, take time to remind yourself who you ultimately work for. Ask Him to help you overcome your reluctance so you can complete the task on time. Then do it with all your heart and for His Glory. Do it knowing that “you can do all things through Him who strengthens you” (Phil 4:13). Make today count.
