I'm a total procrastinator. I know there are a lot of us out there. Our mantra is "Why do today what you can put of until tomorrow?" and one of these days I'm going to start a facebook group for us. The thing about knowing you're a procrastinator is that it really takes away any excuse you might have to not get something done. You lose the ability to even lie to yourself anymore once you realize you have a tendency to put things off. Then you're only a short step away from the understanding that procrastination is just another word for lazy.
Even typing that last sentence hurt a little. No one wants to be called lazy; especially if they actually are lazy. But self-actualization is important. Knowing you shortcomings and claiming them is step one in the process of allowing God to overcome them. My choice of words was very intentional. It is important to understand that YOU don't have to overcome your "flaws." It is important to understand that you are free from climbing that mountain alone. It is important to understand that God has a history of doing this for us if we just work WITH Him.
The Bible is filled with stories about people with flaws and shortcomings. One of the things that makes Scripture so compelling is that it is full of people just like us. Flawed, imperfect people who make one mistake after another. Here's some examples:
-Abraham was too old
-So was Sarah
-Jacob was a liar
-Moses stuttered
-He was also a murderer
-So was Paul
-David was too
-He was also an adulterer
-And a liar
-Peter denied Jesus
-He was also just a fisherman
-So were James and John
-The thief on the cross was a thief
-AND he was hanging on a cross
-Mary was a virgin
-Elizabeth was barren
-Lazarus was dead
-So was Jesus
-Paul was in prison
-Solomon had 300 wives (as well as mother-in-laws)
-Joseph was a slave
-Jeremiah suffered from depression
-Timothy was too young
-And Samson had long hair
Thats a lot of stinkin' shortcomings. But God manages to not only use these men and women despite these "flaws," in many cases He is able to use them BECAUSE of these "flaws." These people are all considered "Heroes of the Faith," (to use a Christianese phrase), and they are just as deeply insecure and troubled as I am. Shoot, I'm just a procrastinator. Surely if God can do powerful things through a murderer He can use me in big ways too.
Acknowledge and even claim your shortcomings. Own up to them. Then let God start to work through you anyway. As he does you'll find yourself in a place where those shortcomings you once had are gone. They will have been eliminated through the sheer addiction of being used by God. I'm a procrastinator. But I'm not as bad as I was a year ago. And next year I'll be even better. And one day, if I work hard enough for God, I won't be a procrastinator anymore. If David can do what he did and still be loved deeply by God then I really have no excuse to not change the world. And neither do you.
No comments:
Post a Comment