“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” Proverbs 27:1
“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”
In the movie, Gone With the Wind, Scarlet O’Hara declares that she will “think about that tomorrow.” I hear that phrase a lot around my house along with the ever popular, “I’ll do it later”, which could mean an hour, a day, a week, or never. I am guilty of saying it, too, and even though I have good intentions, in my heart I know it is a mistake to assume that later or tomorrow is promised.
There are many times when I know that God is asking me to do something, but I file these requests in the “to do” file in my mind. The trouble with filing things away is that most times other things take precedence in the file, and I never get around to doing those Godly requests.
The time in between doing what God asks you to do and when you actually do it, is the Devil’s time. This is the time when “he” convinces you that there is no hurry to send that card, make that phone call, take that friend to lunch, prepare a meal for a sick friend, give that hug, do that Bible study, or visit that family member. I have learned that the opportunity to “just do it” can be taken away in an instant. You can be talking to a person one day, and they can be gone the next. You can’t “do it later”.
These “do it later” moments are the ones I most regret in my life. There were many opportunities for ministry that I missed by letting myself postpone something I knew I should do.
We vacationed in Sedona this fall, and there were three mule deer that were always lined up facing the road as we drove past to our hotel room. Every time we passed, them, I always said, “I’ll get a picture of those cute things later.” On our way to the airport, I finally got around to preparing to take the picture as we left. This picture is what I got! I got what I deserved for assuming I could “do it later.” 