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I Forgot And Now It Will Cost Me

I realized the other day that I forgot to do something last fall and now it’s going to cost me.

I Forgot and Now It Will Cost me

It’s that old procrastination thing. If you don’t get right at something, you’ll pay the consequences later. 

I used to do that with school projects and papers. I would delay getting to them and then I would end up pulling all-nighters the night before the projects were due.

When I started preaching, I told myself that I would not do that; I couldn’t do that. I had heard about pastors who burned the midnight oil every Saturday night to have something to preach in the morning. I knew I would never survive doing that. 

And in twenty-four years I’ve been preaching every Sunday, I can say that I have not done that more than a couple of times under special circumstances. 

You would think, however, that discipline would translate into other areas of my life … but not so.

There are many things in my life that I end up leaving and have to later pay the consequences.

Right now I have a situation with my mountain bike that I’m kicking myself about.

Last year, near the end of the mountain biking season, the front shocks on my bike were not working well. I took my bike in and the people at my bike shop helped with a temporary fix that would see me through until the cold and snow forced me to put my bike away for the winter. They told me to then bring it in and they would work at rebuilding the shock when they had a little more time and I wasn’t using my bike.

It sounded like a great plan to me and so off I went with my bike working not too badly, but not perfectly. 

The biking season ended slowly and I started to play more hockey. Though I thought I still would get in a ride or two, it never seemed to happen.

At that point, I should have taken my bike into the shop and had them work on the shocks. But no, I didn’t do that; I waited a little longer. Then every time I thought about taking it in, I had a reason why it wasn’t a good time. 

At the end of February I again thought about taking my bike in. They wouldn’t be very busy and would have plenty of time to work on it. 

But still I just didn’t make the time to take it in. 

Now the store is closed because of the coronavirus shutdowns. When we finally get done with all this isolating and the store reopens, everyone and their uncle will have their bikes in for tune-ups and my bike will be a low priority.

This is really going to be costly – and not just monetarily – to rebuilt or install new shocks.

Here’s the thing: Do you find that you can get right to certain things but then there are other things that you procrastinate on? Well, the one thing you don’t want to procrastinate on is what you do with Jesus. Jesus Christ will be returning one day … and these days it seems like a possibility more than at any other period in our lifetime. When He does come back, it will be too late to decide where your faith lies. You have to do it now. That’s one decision you really don’t want to procrastinate on.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you been procrastinating on that you really need to act on? Leave your comments and questions below.

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My Cell Phone Has Sent Me Into Depression

I’ve been getting a little depressed lately and the cause has to do with my cell phone. I’ve been thinking about getting a new phone but the thought of it has got me down because of what it’s going to cost me.

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To just purchase a new iPhone will cost me more money than I’ve spent on my last two iPhones put together. I realize I purchased my first iPhone 6 years ago and then my last one 3 years ago, but still! – to get a new one I will have to pay about $100 dollars more than my combined purchases so far!

That’s kind of ridiculous. And I just saw a statistic that Apple has sold 700,000 iPhones. I thought the whole idea of manufacturing was that it brings the cost down.

I’m sure there’s a good reason why the price is so high. It’s probably because they’re making the cell phones so thin now that it’s hard to get Siri to fit inside.

Somebody has to be in there to answer my questions.

But I could live with the increased cost of the phone if that was it. But no, there’s more cost involved. To get a new plan (which I have to do because they don’t offer my old plan any more), I’m going to have to pay more money and get less for it.

I’m sure they have a team of bald-headed, hairy eye-browed men wearing dark-rimmed glasses figuring out how to extract the most from us.

On a new contract, I’ll have to pay $10 more per month to get one twelfth the data that I presently have!

This is significant for me because that data is my internet connection when I’m at my cottage. If I buy a new phone I’m going to have to spend more money to get internet while I’m there.

But as bad as all this sounds, what makes it more depressing is seeing US cell phone commercials on TV.

In Canada our big phone companies pretty much own all the television networks in the country.  Instead of blocking Super Bowl commercials, they should block out those US cell phone company ads.

They are depressing the average Canadian, making us feel worse than we did from all the extreme cold and snow we faced this winter.

I don’t know if I can take it to watch another T-Mobile commercial offering unlimited talk and data to its costumers for the mere cost of $50 a month! … Our big companies don’t want to even sell you a smart phone unless your monthly plan will be at least $60 per month.

And my cell phone company wants me to share everything with other people, only I have no one to share with. My kids are on their own and my wife has a plan with her work.

Maybe Rogers would like me to adopt someone … but I looked on their website and didn’t see any profile pictures of Canadians looking to be sponsored on a monthly basis.

I’m too depressed to make a decision. I guess I’ll just keep using what I have for a while longer.

Here’s the thing: There is all kinds of pressure on you to get on board with some kind of plan for your life. God has a plan, but He won’t force you into it. Be sure that the loud voices out there, trying to sell you on their plans, don’t keep you ignoring the plan God has for you.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What pressure to conform have you found yourself under lately? Leave your comment below.