Contemplate, if you will, the consequences of procrastination.

If life seems to be flying right by or ignoring you, perhaps it’s because you’re not engaged enough with it. You have to move (as best you can, of course) in order to experience the possibilities God has designed for you. You have to turn the corner to see what’s around it.

Life doesn’t bring you what you don’t need or earn — so tend to what it brings you. See opportunity.

Darkness comes when we spawn it and let it linger; dispel it with the Holy Spirit and angels.

Yes, at times things may fall readymade into our laps. But most of the time, we have to have input; we have to go for it; we have to reach for the gift. We have to feel like we’re helping the world to revolve around the sun; to collect His Grace. We have to act like we’re all in this thing called life together, because we are!

When we dither and put things off, we’re not only wasting time but traversing into the realm of indifference which can morph into sloth, a “cardinal sin” because it is so damaging to the spirit and against what God wants to give us — thus in some ways, against His Plan for us.

Summer is prime time to get in motion.

That doesn’t mean we rush. Often, we need to take our time and consider. Frequently, we must wait until we have more guidance and information. Never rush. It’s when we have all we need and remain in a state of inertia out of fear or indolence — or stuck in the past — that we frustrate ourselves (and perhaps our angels).

How can you be excellent and fully “who you are” if you go nowhere; if you don’t at least “travel” through books; if you do nothing?

Once we stop learning, we stall, and too much stalling leads to a vacuum filled with darkness. That attracts unfortunate spirits.

“Why do we procrastinate?” asks one writer. “Many things come to mind, such as laziness, exhaustion, lack of motivation, or an unruly characteristic. However, I do not believe any of these reasons are the root cause. There is one very definitive culprit, FEAR! Yes, that is what I have come to understand it to be.

“Fear holds us back and disguises itself in so many ways. I have come to realize that I have been afraid to move forward, afraid to become successful, and afraid to fail. I have noticed that I am paralyzed with fear when I aim to move forward. I freeze up whenever I need to get something done that can take me places, bringing me closer to my dreams. It sounds crazy, right? You would think I would jump at any chance of success, but unfortunately, that has not been the case.”

Don’t let it be the case with you.

For once we set ourselves in motion, we have momentum. It becomes increasingly easier to move forward. This is critical: summoning the energy for that first push, and then, softly or otherwise, keeping one’s foot on the gas. Persistence holds hands with diligence which holds hands with discipline, a key to happiness.

Think of how often diligence plays into the right life.

Go weed that garden, if the thought of how overgrown it is niggles you, so it niggles you no longer! Go to the park. Go to the beach. Fix that leak. Clear that closet. Read Scripture, every day.  Remember that the evidence of faith is not in what you hope but what you expect. Expect big and put action behind it. Remember that every moment on earth is opportune for prayer.

Your life is ahead of you, not in the rearview mirror — an endless road that awaits your footsteps toward joy and contentment and accomplishment in His Light here and forevermore.

[resources: Michael Brown retreat June 25]