I don’t know about you, but I get really frustrated when people don’t follow through with tasks they tell me they will do. This problem shows itself in a variety of ways. On more than one occasion, I have contacted someone to do work on my house and have been told they would get back with me in twenty-four hours or less. Many of those I have never heard from again. Or those people who say they will help with something, but when you try to schedule a time, they are never available. I would much prefer that people just say no when I ask them instead of promising they will be there and not show up.
I have a couple of acquaintances with this personality trait. I have tried to evaluate their motives. I believe one of them genuinely believes they are helpful, but they don’t organize their schedule well enough and never have time to follow through. Another has a far deeper problem. They say yes only so they appear to be a good friend and have a desire to help, but they never intend to follow through.
These are frustrating situations in this life, and they give us an opportunity to evaluate our own lives. We all experience those last-minute conflicts that force us to adjust our schedule. But what happens when this becomes a pattern? An even deeper question is this, do we ever drop the ball in our promises to God.
When discussing his expectation for our lives as part of the Kingdom of God, Jesus gives a very troubling story that reveals his heart. In Matthew 21:28-33, he tells of a father with two sons. He asks them both to work in his vineyard. The one immediately says yes, but never follows through. The other refuses, but then changes his mind and does what his father asked. Jesus ends this parable with this question, “Which one did what his father wanted?”
This account has a very challenging application. God has asked us to serve his Kingdom while we live as aliens in this world. There are different expectations for each of us depending on how God’s Spirit has chosen to gift us. However, each of us has been given something God desires for us to do and the ability to do it. When we choose to spend time seeking God’s desire for us, he is faithful in making his will known. It is then up to us as to how we will respond in fulfilling his will.
It is easy to have good intentions of following through with God’s desire. But then the pressures of this life can overwhelm and distract us from our purpose. We have expectations from our employers, family responsibilities, our kid’s schedules to keep up with, our own recreation and hobbies, and the list goes on. It is so easy to get to the end of our week and realize we have not spent time honoring our Lord with our lives by following through with his will.
This comes down to a matter of priority. As we have discussed before, to say yes to one opportunity means we have to say no to another. Satan loves to get us running so fast in this life we can’t see any opening to offer time for God’s plan. This requires us to recognize Satan’s tactics and stand against them.
The solution has two parts. First, commit before God to make his will a priority. Second, schedule time for it. Again, this may require saying no to something else. When we are obedient in this way, we open the door to see God do some amazing things in us and through us. And we may be surprised. When we seek God first, he may just show us ways these other things can be added in.