“Sluggards do not plow in season;
so at harvest time they look but find nothing.”- Proverbs 20:4
I’m a woman in the middle of a passionate love affair with God’s Grace. But lately, more than ever, I’ve been obsessing a lot about my issue with procrastination. Probably because my blog posts are due on Tuesdays. And here I sit, on another Tuesday morning, struggling with words that are already there. And have always been there, but there seems to be a fear of releasing them somewhere deep within.
I’ve procrastinated to get these words onto a Word Doc. but know there’s an underlying fear. I somehow, deep down fear that sitting down to get them out would suddenly make them disappear. That is, my intentional message all forgotten.
Why the procrastination? I’ve prayed about it on multiple occasions. Why am I having so much trouble writing about something that I’m so passionate about? I can post about verses of the Bible and Wellness topics on Facebook, and also share what they mean personally. And yet, when it comes time to sit down and write how His Grace can transform us, help us with our weaknesses, and most importantly sets us free from over functioning-I’ve hesitated. I don’t know where to start.
We all have things that we know we need to do…a creative project that has to be tackled. A project “so huge” that we just don’t know where to start. And we know that it’s too much for us to tackle it by ourselves. So what do we do? We distract yourselves with television, social media, reading other writers’ blogs, puttering around the house, or online shopping. At least that’s what I do. Anything that will lead me away from facing the truth of my poor time management and procrastination.
A question that we usually have when we begin our faith walk is…Where do we start? And the answer is…just start-begin anywhere-God will honor it. If my paralyzing phobia of sharing my heart applied to this scenario, then the knowledge of not knowing where to start isn’t really the root or the reason why I procrastinate. It really comes down to the fear of God not being there when I step out in faith. It’s not knowing that His Grace will be there to catch me when I plunge into the unknown. Ultimately, It’s not knowing that He’s does have the message that I need to deliver. But the good news is…He’s the messenger, not me.
What if the content I desire to share doesn’t come as easily as it does to a “successful blogger”? Slack can become a vicious cycle of self-sabotage. We don’t know where to start, so we put it off. And we then take the easy way and make excuses as to why we haven’t. Before we know it, we’ve missed the boat. Time flies and we’re now again in square one. The reality is, we really worry about not delivering our message effectively. And all this time, God has been waiting for us to take the plunge and jump. But what if we just sit still to hear God’s voice…His still small voice within.
From a positive perspective…How can this vicious cycle of poor time management, procrastination, and slack STOP? This is the place where God’s grace kicks in- if we allow it. Grace is the enablement of being equipped to do what doesn’t come naturally. It’s the supernatural power that manifests when we let go of our own strength, our own agenda, and put ourselves in the Hands of Him who has it all figured out.
It really comes down to our relationship with God and how much we trust Him working in us in the areas that have made us struggle. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to make the jump, knowing that He will catch me. The following are a few simple steps to take this journey of productivity and stop the SLACK:
- Acknowledge your fear. Let’s be sincere and face the true reason for the procrastination.
- Strengthen yourself with God’s truths of the Holy Spirit being your “Helper” in the midst of the challenges; seek out verses that quote the Holy Spirit being all that you need.
- Surrender to God your weaknesses and fears. Know that you’re powerless without His help.
- Begin seeing yourself as productive, organized, fearless, and intentional, because you are all that- in HIM.
- Begin living your new truths, knowing that you’re not alone in your process. You have a calling but He’s got the strategies and the enablement for your success.
- The Holy Spirit is your “Helper” …when you grow weak, stumble, or slack. He’ll always be there filling in for you. Our only role is to acknowledge His Presence in our time of need. Seek out the following verses on the person of the Holy Spirit…
In John 15:26 and John 16:7, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to His disciples. In these verses, the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Comforter, Advocate, Helper, or Counselor depending on the Bible translation you are reading.
❤️ With much love and grace, I encourage you to take the plunge. We’re in this together!-Giselle
Simply Balanced! 