Alliteration aside, this post title should catch your attention. How can procrastination be positive? How can it promote profound possibilities? Isn’t procrastination the disease of the weak willed and chronically unmotivated? We all do it but to suggest adopting it as a way of life, isn’t that unchristian?

Isn’t it funny how words evolve?

Words may be innocuous originally but over time they are assigned a more specific meaning and usage. Procrastinate, according to OxfordDictionaries.com originally came from the Latin word procrastinat meaning deferred until the morning. Procrastinate was pretty innocuous wasn’t it?  Over time it evolved into an indefinite delay caused by a purposeful choice to put something off even if putting it off leads to a worse outcome. Merriam-webster.com defines procrastination this way, to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.

Those who do not procrastinate habitually, those who prioritize their schedule based on time sensitivity, delaying only to make room for the more pressing, would see those who procrastinate as having an irrational approach to life. As a follower of Christ and as a collective of Christ followers we should procrastinate, we should take an irrational approach to completing tasks.

 For the message of the cross is foolishness… 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV)

Let’s face it, as a follower of Christ we believe that our salvation from imperfection is from God who became man. We believe that God also remained God in heaven while He was God on earth and a man at the same time. We believe that the execution of this innocent God/man who didn’t stay dead gives us hope. Because of this hope we surrender ourselves to this God/man who is no longer a man and now lives in heaven. This is foolishness to those who do not believe, irrational to those who are dead in their own imperfections.

If the message of the cross is foolishness, the way of the Christ follower will be too.

The world has infected our thinking. The push to be busy, to get things done, has replaced the need to wait on God. We complete tasks because we see them as items on a list of things to be done. To put them off would be laziness and laziness is not Godly. We have created a rational approach to serving God based on what is rational to the world and adopted it as a Bible based approach to life.

If the message of the cross is foolishness, irrational to those who do not follow Christ, then the way of the Christ follower will be too. Those who surrender everything to Christ will appear to be procrastinators based on the standards of the world. The world says it is irrational to put things off if they can be done right away but I believe it is ungodly to do them just because they can be done right away.

Positive procrastination promotes profound possibilities is irrational foolishness.

To put off feeding yourself or bathing, going to work or sleeping, is negative procrastination that promotes laziness. It limits most possibilities other than mental deficits because of sleep deprivation, losing everything because you have no money, smelling bad because of poor hygiene and death from starvation. There are always things that need to be done and should not be put off. These things are rational for both the Christ follower and the Christ denier. They can’t be ignored for any length of time, they just need to be done.

To put off making a decision on your career or getting married, your place in ministry or your role in a situation while you seek God’s guidance is positive procrastination. Positive procrastination promotes profound possibilities. It may be irrational foolishness to the world but it is fundamental to an obedient life that honours Christ. There are always things that need to be done but when it comes to making plans for the future they should be put off until we know God’s plan, His way of accomplishing it, His timing and who/what He wants to use to complete it.

I can’t guarantee that you won’t end up with mental deficits because of sleep deprivation, losing everything because you have no money, smelling bad because of limited opportunities to take care of your hygiene or dead from starvation. All I can say is that it is better to end up in a bad situation during the course of following God than in what appears to be a good situation because we chose the path without bothering to ask Him.

Christ followers and collectives of Christ followers it’s time to procrastinate!

It is irrational to put things off that can be done now unless you are a follower of Christ. It is irrational to put things off that can be done now unless you are the leadership of a collective of Christ followers. Just because we can, just because it is not sinful, just because it is in line with what other Christ followers and collectives of Christ followers have done, doesn’t make it God’s will for your church or your life.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV)

Practice positive procrastination. Seek the will of The Father and rely on His grace when you fail.