A Prayer (7): A Procrastinator’s Prayer

            I could not decide whether to share this prayer because I was a little embarrassed. Procrastination and laziness often go hand in hand and for some odd reason I did not mind sharing that I am a procrastinator but having people think I am lazy as well made me a little hesitant. Well I have concluded that I am lazy (circumstantial) albeit not nearly as lazy as I am a procrastinator. If anything I hope I can spark someone to make a change in his or her life and ask God for help no matter how trivial an issue may seem.

So, here it goes:

         Lord, you are great and worthy to be praised. You have done many things for me that I could not possibly have done myself. Actually, you have done everything for me because I cannot do anything myself. Because of who you are, I know that you can help me with my procrastination problem.

          I have never prayed about it before because I just recently realized how ungodly and unhealthy procrastination is. Procrastination is cancerous in nature. It metastasizes, affecting so many other aspects of my life, like stewardship (I’ll take care of it later), health (I’ll eat better tomorrow), temperance (I’ll do what I want now and change later), finances (I’ll pay later), giving (I’ll give next time), relationships (I’ll call later), education (I’ll study later), spirituality (I’ll pray later) and even my hobbies (I’ll paint later).

            The point is that I do not want to be a procrastinator anymore. Thank you Lord for allowing me to realize how my bad habit hinders me in my daily life and how unattractive it is. Please help me handle tasks as they come my way and motivate me to see them through. Continue to help me see the value of time and guide me in using it effectively so I can better provide a living example of your word even when no one is around.

           I need time to multiply the “talents” you have given me (Matthew 25:14-30) so that when you return, I will have the pleasure of hearing you say “well done, thou good and faithful servant”. Let me know when I am squandering my time and remove the spirit of laziness from me that causes me to neglect the things that I need to accomplish. I look forward to watching you work in my life and in your holy name I pray, Amen.

           I prayed this prayer and I did not just sit and wait for God to put some force field around me that prevented me from procrastinating. I made an effort, and the first step was changing my attitude. Instead of “I don’t feel like it”, I tried saying “there’s no reason I can’t do this right now”. Of course, change does not happen over night but something so simple as changing my perspective made it much easier and each small victory makes me feel like I am winning the war.