"When"

 When do you think we’ll do it,

I asked my Dad one time,

‘Cause I had grown familiar,

With one of his repeated lines.

He’d say when things get better,

We’ll start Thanksgiving Day,

And we will not go back to work,

Till the new year we will play.

We’ll hunt and ride and eat a lot,

We’ll watch the football game,

But you see that never happened,

I don’t say it to complain.

‘Cause even when the times were good,

He just could not let go,

Of all the work he had to do,

It took some time to know,

That it wasn’t going to happen,

Sometimes I wonder why,

It took so long to give it up,

And let that idea die.

Sometimes I would fantasize,

Remember what Dad said,

And I’d create a memory,

That changed the past instead,

From what I wish had happened,

I’d pretend just like a kid,

Enjoy the things that he described,

As if they really did.

Dad’s been gone a long time now,

Over twenty years,

When I think about what I must do,

And I admit my fears,

It’s that I won’t get a grip on things,

That I know I should do,

Let the time get clean away,

It worries me, it’s true.

I ask the Lord to help me,

To write and ride and rest,

To work when I’m supposed to,

And always do my best.

But when do we stop putting off,

The things we’d love to do,

It’s do it or find some excuse,

Make godly dreams come true.

I don’t mean make it happen,

Just let it be, you see,

 God’s great Holy Spirit,

May accomplish it through me.

And when it comes down to it,

That’s what life’s about,

Don’t quench the Holy Spirit,

But let Him flow, no doubt.

And every dream worth dreaming,

We’ll find time for, you’ll see,

And look back when we’ve done it,

And remember thankfully.

“Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2, NLT)

The Bible has a lot to say about maximizing the moment and not missing God-given opportunities. Those who procrastinate, for whatever reason, may miss out on God’s best for them. Paul speaks of our salvation as something that should be received immediately if one is unsaved or unsure. But then he speaks of our ongoing salvation and warns us not to ignore God’s kindness but continue to cooperate with it. Again, his counsel is that now is the time. There is great power in obeying God now, not later.

Lord, help us realize that today is Your gift to us, and what we do with it is our gift to You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mary Ross Buchholz, maryrossbuchholz.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mary, and God bless y’all.