By J. Merritt Johnston

Society at large has an infatuation with procrastination, and on this matter, I would have to cast my lot with the rest of society. I've always prided myself on being a hard worker, but if I were honest, I would have to confess that I often find myself dawdling in trivial things to avoid dealing with the important ones. After all, why do today what I can put off until tomorrow?

Part of me desires to be organized, efficient, and disciplined. That part of me makes multiple calendars. The calendars get color-coded and then printed horizontally and vertically, by the week and by the month. That part of me makes to-do lists and jots down endless arrays of tasks on post-it notes that reside on my computer monitor for days. But all the time management techniques in the world mean nothing unless I break away from my infatuation with procrastination.

Most of the time I can finish the day with a lot of tasks marked off a list, but I'm learning the importance that priority plays in efficiency. Crossing ten things off a list and leaving the most important one unfinished is not effective stewardship of my time. So each day...each hour...each minute has to be evaluated under the microscope of "priority."

Do I fear that this will stifle my spontaneity? Absolutely not - I believe it conditions me to hear and respond to the spontaneous promptings of the Holy Spirit. I am free to change and rearrange the focus areas of my calendar as long as the overarching purpose remains the same. Psalm 119:10a (The Message) says, "I'm single-minded in pursuit of you..."

The psalmist knew what our purpose should be - that we become single-minded in our pursuit of God. However, he also knew our tendency to stray off the path in the midst of our pursuit. The end of Psalm 119:10 says, "...don't let me miss the road signs you've posted."

Many culprits can captivate our minds, our hearts, and our calendars and keep us from seeing the road signs God has posted, but distraction is probably the devil's greatest tool in directing us away from our destination. Satan wields the weapon of distraction craftily, and the result is Christians who have lost sight of their "single-minded" pursuit. With the busyness of life today, we feel entitled to a few pit stops in our pursuit. I agree that rest is needed, justified, and even commanded by God, but we must be careful not to let "rest" become an excuse for delayed action. Pit stops can become prime opportunities for procrastination to take hold and hinder us from answering God's call, and we must not allow that to happen.

So how do we rid our lives of this pesky little thing called procrastination? St. Francis of Assisi once said, "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." This week I am praying that God will help me do what is "necessary." I am praying that I will be found faithful in the little things, so that He will be confident entrusting me with the big ones.

Wherever you might be in your pursuit of God, I urge you to join me this week in doing what is necessary so that together we might one day do the impossible.

Tips to Avoid an Infatuation with Procrastination:

• Begin each day by giving God control of your calendar. Ask for the Holy Spirit's help in organizing your appointments and responsibilities. Chart out your day so you have an action plan to start with, but allow some buffer time to tackle the unexpected. Ask God to reveal your priority action items for the day. As much as possible, try to tackle those items first before moving on to other responsibilities.
• Set up a reward system for yourself for not procrastinating. Let the reward be a motivation to "do what is necessary."
• Be on the lookout this week for the road signs God has posted. Take time to journal about the signs you see, and ask God to help you follow the course He has charted for your life. If He has been pointing you toward something for quite some time, then pray for the courage to take a leap in that direction this week.

Merritt serves as the director of SAGE Girls Ministry, a non-profit organization whose mission is to reach, teach, and train young women to impact their communities and the world with the love of Christ. She makes her home in Brenham, TX, where she and her husband, Jeremy, are raising their rambunctious toddler named Josiah and two miniature dachshunds named Aidan and Adelaide.