The Danger of Waiting Until Later

“My advice is, never do tomorrow what you can today. Procrastination is the thief of time,” wrote Charles Dickens’ in his novel David Copperfield.

Also, as my favorite author anonymous once opined, “Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.”

In a recent facebook post on Jay Shetty’s page is this piece by a Japanese author and playwright, Toshikazu Kawaguchi, from his book Before the Coffee Gets Cold. It is wonderful advice about avoiding putting things off until later.

Don’t leave anything for later.
Later, the coffee gets cold.
Later, you lose interest.
Later, the day turns into night.
Later, people grow up.
Later, people grow old.
Later, life goes by.
Later, you regret not doing something…
When you had the chance.

Life is a fleeting dance, a delicate balance of moments that unfold before us, never to return in quite the same way again.

Regret is a bitter pill to swallow, a weight that bears down upon the soul with the burden of missed chances and unspoken words.

So, let us not leave anything for later. Let us seize the moments as they come, with hearts open and arms outstretched to embrace the possibilities that lie before us. For in the end, it is not the things we did that we regret, but the things we left undone, the words left unspoken, the dreams left unfulfilled.

The wise man of Proverbs warned about the danger of procrastination when he advised, “Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth “(Prov 27:1).

Likewise the apostle Paul admonished, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Eph 5:15-16).

Putting off what we know we ought to do until later will not only hinder us financially, handicap relationships, and frustrate us emotionally, but may be dangerous eternally. More serious than an unkempt house, an unpaid bill or an unfinished task list is the problem of spiritual procrastination. Through the years I have talked to people about their spiritual responsibilities and I hear responses that begin with these words, “I know I should…” “I ought to…” Or “I gotta….”

The Bible warns “Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins” (Jas 4:17).

Furthermore, Scripture reminds that today is the day of salvation. Now is the time to hear God’s voice, heed God’s Word, and take action (2Cor. 6:2; Heb. 3:7, 13, 15).

Later is the voice of procrastination.
Later is the excuse of laziness.
Later is the alibi for apathy.
Later is the failure to face reality.
Later is the evasion of duty.
Later is the smokescreen for poor time management.
Later is the inability to delay immediate gratification.
Later is the disguise of never.

Don’t wait until later. Do it now.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman