Episode #18 - "Next Time" Never Comes

We are prepping for another weekend get away, this time to North Carolina, and I needed to mow our yard before we leave. I had the opportunity to do it Monday, but put it off because I didn't feel like it assuming I would get another chance. But, the weather has prevented that, and now my negligence will cost me. Well...how many times do we know the right thing to do, but because we just don't feel like it we put off doing it? We must be careful, our negligence can come at a great cost. Don't wait until "next time" - it might never come. 

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Transcript

Welcome to the Set Your Mind Above podcast, where every day, ordinary events teach us extraordinary eternal truths! I am your host BJ Sipe, and I’m so glad you’ve tuned in today! I am excited to share my life & my faith with you, and I sure hope you’ll do the same with me along the way.

I really need to learn to start looking at the forecast before I plan things in the future. I am striking out recently in that regard. When Kylie and I took our little 2 day get away a few weekends ago, it ended up pouring rain the entire time and cancelled our hiking plans. I just never took the time to even look at the forecast because it had been so nice. Fast forward to this week, we are making preparations to leave for one more weekend – this time to North Carolina to see my wife’s parents. They requested grandkid time, and since they are only 6 hours away and I have this upcoming Sunday off we are going to take the opportunity to spend the weekend with them. One of the things that was on my to do list was mow our grass, or probably more accurately, mow our many weeds – I know some of you can relate to that. Monday came around and it was the perfect day to mow the grass. I had the time, the weather was perfect, and we didn’t have any other plans for the day. The yard really needed it to, as some of the weeds that had popped up now looked more like some neglected shrubs. When the grass has grown up to you kneecaps in places, it’s past time to get it done. Well as the day went on I got feeling a little tired and worn out from some other things, so I decided to put it off and just do it another day. Honestly it wasn’t that I couldn’t do it then, I just didn’t want to do it then. After all, we weren’t leaving until Thursday or Friday, surely I could get it done before we had to leave! Well…not so much. As you probably guessed, it has been wet and raining off and on all yesterday and today. I had just assumed I would have another chance to get it done, but that assumption proved wrong. By the time we get back, because of my negligence the yard will be too tall for my little push mower to handle. So, I woke up this morning and ended up texting my neighbors to see if either of them would be so inclined to tackle it for us with one of their riding mowers while we were gone over the weekend. My good friend Drew who lives next door jumped on the opportunity and said he’d be happy to do it (shout out to Drew Davis, what a guy!) He tried to turn down compensation, but my wife insisted he take some money so he could take his wife out for a date later since we’re taking some of his time away from her to help us. I’m so thankful for our neighbors and our neighborhood, everyone really looks out after each other. But I learned a valuable lesson this week – don’t’ assume you’ll get another opportunity to do later what you should have done now. 

I believe there is an even more important lesson for us all to learn from this as well. Consider the words of James, the brother of Jesus, in the 4th chapter of his letter beginning in verse 13: “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:13-17) There is a lot more to unpack here than we have the time on this podcast to discuss, but we do want to address a few things. Notice the assumption made in this situation described by James – the certainty that they would be able to do or accomplish things they wanted to accomplish in the days ahead. And yet the truth of the matter is when it comes to our lives, we have no certainty of such things. None of us are promised the rest of this day, much less are we promised tomorrow. To assume I will have the time to do what I want to, or perhaps even what I should, another time is a very poor assumption. In fact, James even says that it is arrogant. But secondly and more importantly, James warns us with this instruction: whoever knows the right thing to do, and fails to do it, to him it is sin. There are so many things that we are called to do as Christians, and yet how many times do we put them off for “another time” because now is inconvenient? It’s not that we can’t do it right now, we just don’t want to do it. Before you know it, time has passed us by and it’s to late to try and fix what you’ve neglected. It is the parents who know they are to teach and instruct their children in the Lord, but they’re just too tired or distracted when they get home from work, so they put it off for another time. Pretty soon, their children are grown and out of the house, and you never get that time back. It’s the Christian who knows they are to be more charitable to the church and to those in need, but always say, “I’ll do it next month” over and over again. It’s your neighbor stopped on the side of the road that needs help, but you just drive by because you’ll be late to your appointment – you’ll help them next time. I think we’ve all been guilty of things like this. My friends, do not put off for another time what you should do today. This is the day the Lord has made, and to neglect to do what we know we should is actually sin. Allow me to share some powerful words from a song by an artist I listen to frequently named Donovan Woods. The song is titled “Next Year”. “Another day down, another week gone, you're always just talkin' about tomorrow. You can't beg, steal, borrow or make time. So you make plans and hope for the best, life moves on oh so fast. Another twelve months flies on by, you're still here…but it's never quite next year.” Don’t wait to do to the right thing – get up, get to work, and do it today. 

Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. Tune in, Tuesday-Friday’s, as a new podcast episode will be uploaded each day. Also, be sure to follow the Facebook page for the Set Your Mind Above podcast for future announcements and weekly video sessions that are uploaded on Saturdays. As you have the opportunity, share these thoughts with your friends and family, and share with me what important lessons you are learning from every day, ordinary events. Until next time know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above!