The impact of immediately
“Delay is the deadliest form of denial.” C. Northcote Parkinson
As I read Scripture, I see the impact of immediacy.
Noah worked immediately. Abraham left at once. Paul changed his life in an instant. “At once” is used 59 times in the New Testament.
Time has a way of extinguishing visions. Delay eats dreams. Inaction erases obedience.
Every one of us has a dream, a vision, a thought of what could be. Maybe it is the creation of something that lives rent free in your mind each day. For some, it is the relationship that needs attention, maybe those difficult words, “I’m sorry,” need to be said. For some, the vision is large and complex. For others, the idea could be fulfilled with one act. Whatever the case, today, each one of us will have a dream, a vision, or a thought that interrupts our day, just like it did the day before and the day before. The unsaid words, the unplanned trip, the call never made, the business never started. Dreams or ideas have a tendency to linger.
Regardless of the thought or idea, the fear of the unknown or the worry about the outcome places mental hurdles in our minds that grow larger each day. Our minds tell us that ignoring the ideas keeps us safe.
In the moment, the inaction doesn’t seem to matter. But, at some point, it morphs into negative emotions, for example, guilt, regret, or anger.
What is missed with the dream, the vision, the thought, the idea is the impact that action will have on other people. Others will be moved, inspired, potentially motivated, to follow. The story of entrepreneurs is fuel to those that that have an idea. Hearing radical acts of obedience challenges those that have a vision. Receiving grace causes one to give grace. Taking the first step makes others emulate.
Your vision, your dream, the thought or idea that lingers daily, will impact others. The opposite is also true. If no step is taken, no one will be impacted.
If one step is taken, the world will look different. Just one step and hope blossoms. Just one conversation or movement creates momentum.
We were all taught a saying growing up. “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”
Reminds me of the book, “Everything that I needed to know for life, I learned in Kindergarten.”
Take the step today (by the way, when I write, it is mostly talking to myself).
Genesis 12:1-5
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