by Darcia Kunkel

Our Call Not to Wait

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”
Proverbs 13:4, English Standard Version

 The motto of the Chicago Cubs used to be, “There’s Always Next Year.” Each year, the lovable losers would never quite make it to the World Series….until 2016. Usually, they found a way to blow it at the very end. Fans had become so used to the team losing that the championship was totally unexpected. Since that world series victory, there has been a glimmer of hope, and excitement, each year for a repeat. The mindset has shifted to, “There’s Always This Year.”

At many times throughout my life, I have succumbed to the “maybe next” year approach. Procrastination seems to be a gift of mine. As Mark Twain once said, “Never put off ’til tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well.” He wrote it as a jest to Benjamin Franklin’s quote, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

The book of Proverbs urges us not to remain sluggish in our daily tasks. When we become complacent in church worship, bible reading, helping others, and working toward our goals Satan sees an opportunity to slowly destroy the soul. Little by little we find ourselves frustrated, anxious, unfulfilled, and self-centered. We begin to put off what needs to be done, preferring to maintain the status quo. Who then, will do the work?

I often hear about the lack of work ethic in America today. Expected handouts, demanded riches, and a laissez-faire attitude are starting to proliferate our culture. Don’t get me wrong, there is a grass roots movement to get back to volunteering and working for a living. Even my 13-year old son takes on odd jobs for neighbors to make his own money.

Sometimes I lose sight of what still needs to be done. I find myself not truly living, but rather complaining about not living enough. Lord, let me not put off what needs to be done…what you would have me do today, this week, this month, and this year!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado