Today is Tomorrow

from www.crosswalk.com

March 18, 2008

Today is Tomorrow
By Melissa Taylor

“Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow’---when you now have it with you.” Proverbs 3:28 (NIV)

Devotion:
Many times I don't want to do, or think, about what needs to get done today. So I put it off until tomorrow. Can you relate? I've noticed that often tomorrow gets pushed back daily and then when I finally do whatever it is I've been putting off, I end up stressed out. Then I rush around in a bad mood, convinced I don’t need to do that task at all. Here are a few of my “I’ll think about that tomorrow” things:"I'll start my diet....tomorrow.""I'll start my quiet time....tomorrow.""I'll clean my house....tomorrow.""I'll read to my daughter....tomorrow.""I'll call my friend....tomorrow.""I'll go have lunch with my son....tomorrow.""I'll take brownies to my neighbor....tomorrow.""I'll spend some quality time with my husband....tomorrow""I'll __________________ tomorrow." (fill in the blank)God gave me 24 hours in each day. How I use those precious hours is up to me. Although I may not be able to complete every task assigned to me in a single day, to continue to put off important things that need doing is not being a good steward of the time and tasks God has assigned me.

For a while in my life, I was so bad about putting my goals and tasks off until another day that I got behind in everything. My life needed changing. I wanted to change, but my choices didn’t reflect that. I was choosing to sleep instead of get up and have quiet time. I was choosing burgers and fries over a healthy soup and salad. I was choosing to play instead of do the laundry. I was watching TV instead of exercising. I was spending time with friends but not my husband. Day after day I had good intentions to make necessary changes in my life. Day after day I put them off until tomorrow. Eventually, I felt like a failure.

One day while I was feeling discouraged about putting off things until tomorrow, I was reminded of a lesson I learned a few years ago after we planned a trip to Walt Disney World. At the time my daughter, Hayley Grace, was 3 years-old. We booked the trip months before we actually went but I made the mistake of telling Haley Grace about it. Each day she’d ask, "Are we going to Disney World today?"

I would say, "No Hayley Grace, we aren't going for 3 more months." Then "2 more months ...1 more month ...3 weeks, 2 weeks, 1 week." The night before we were leaving, I announced the news she’d been waiting for. "Hayley Grace, we are going to Disney World TOMORROW!" She was so excited!!! The next morning she came running into my room before I was out of bed and the first words out of her mouth were, "Mommy, Mommy, is today tomorrow?" I proudly replied, "Yes! Today is tomorrow."
I’ve decided that I am going to make today my “tomorrow” by moving into action. Instead of wasting precious time, I want to look at what I've been putting off until tomorrow and put it in action today. The Lord has great plans for my life. I would hate to miss them because I was not embracing the changes He has placed on my heart.

Will you join me? What changes, goals, or intentions have you been putting off until tomorrow? Take a look at your current “to-do” list and make it a “to-day” list. Not only will you have a sense of accomplishment, but you’ll also make a difference today. Today is tomorrow!

Kwame Kilpatrick

When we talk about leadership we often use words like integrity and honesty. With that in mind, what do you think about Kwame and his text-message mess?

Is he a good leader?
Why are so many people defending him?
Can you be a good leader in your job and have a questionable personal life?

What do you think?