If I can do things once, I will work very hard to make that happen. 

I think I’ve always been a “once” kind of guy. 

When I’ve had some dishes that needed to be carried to the kitchen, I’ve loaded myself up. 

At other times I’ve taken so many clothes downstairs to be washed that I’ve dropped some along the way. 

… But that has never stopped me from trying to do it the next time. 

Years ago, when I was working as a youth pastor out west, there were times the church was asked to help someone in the congregation move.

This was always an assignment for the youth pastor and the college and career pastor. Dave and I had a motto back then, “Dave and Paul – the one trip movers”. 

That was our handle because, if it was up to us, we would cram everything in that house into the truck so we didn’t have to go back for another trip.

There have been so many times that I have been overloaded, using my body, chin, knees to get things from point A to point B. 

It’s just who I am. It’s part of my make up. We are all made differently and some people would never try to do the things I do. They don’t care if it takes two trips; so be it. 

Not me. I want to get it done once. Let’s not take longer; let’s not do this again. 

So that is why I’m having a little dilemma right now. 

I look out my front window and see a good-sized pile of leaves out there. I’m pretty sure my neighbour is wishing I would quickly scoop them up. But that goes against my grain because half the leaves are still on the tree.

At this point the tree looks a lot like my hair. On the outset it looks like I have a full head of hair, but really it’s thinning. The tree has lots of leaves, but you can tell it’s getting rather thin on top.

If I go out there and collect the leaves on the ground, they will only be replaced in the next couple of days with a completely new set of fallen leaves … which means I will have to go out and mulch leaves a second time. – I don’t even like writing that sentence.

If I wait a little longer, I will only have to do it once. The pile that is already there will also get blown around. Some leaves will stick around but others will land on other people’s lawns and I won’t have to deal with them at all.

Right now I have a couple of days of really nice weather to decide the fate of the fallen leaves. 

I used to be able to blame this decision on my schedule. These days, other than biking, golfing and doing a chapel talk, my schedule is fairly open. … Decisions!

Here’s the thing: We tend to not want to deal with our sin. If we do, we would prefer to only deal with it once, like when we ask Christ to forgive us of our sins. The problem with not regularly dealing with our sins is that they cause us to grow cold and distant from God. To keep your relationship with Christ warm and close, you need to confess your sins when they happen. Stay on it.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to do now, instead of waiting for later? Leave your comments and questions below.

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