From the Heart – Ronnie Keller Michel

We weren’t far into the Mardi Gras break when my nine-year-old daughter announced, “I’m bored.”

“Don’t start with that, Victoria,” I impatiently responded. “Do you want me to find something for you to do?” The mental list of incomplete household chores instantly came to mind.

“No, no, that’s okay. I’ll just start on my Science notebook,” she quickly answered.

“Relax. Your notebook’s due in April. Why are you worried about it right now?” I asked, sincerely puzzled. Her four older siblings, following in their parents’ footsteps, usually wait until the night before the due date to put the finishing touches on their projects. I have many memories, few of them fond, of flipping through magazines asking my husband, “Can this pass for an invertebrate?”

Upon her insistence, I told Victoria where she could find the magazines that I reserve for such a time as this. She gathered her scissors, glue, and construction paper and began to collect and mount the pictures for her project. With very little help from me, she had the entire book completed the next day. I was so shocked, but so proud. This feat makes her quite the overachiever in my family.

Victoria’s accomplishment should not be that big of a deal, but it is for me because one of my weaknesses is that I procrastinate. I once read, “Procra-stination is opportunity’s assassin.” Good ideas are destroyed when I delay acting upon them. My son, Geoffrey, says that the graveyard is filled with good ideas that people never got around to making reality.

As I saw Victoria’s satisfaction over her achievement, it made me want to accomplish something. Enthusiasm is contagious. I suddenly wanted to clean out a closet, vacuum a room, or cook a meal. (Well, maybe I didn’t want to really cook.) I just wanted to tackle a project.

What about you? What do you want to see happen in your life? What small step could you take toward that purpose today? Join me in taking a step today towards accomplishing one of your goals, regardless of how little or lofty they may seem. Bake a cake for a neighbor. Pay a bill. Send someone an encouraging note. Start your own business. Read a book. Write a book. And above all else, if you have never entered into a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, do so today. “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2. Today is the day of salvation. Don’t put it off another minute.