I hear the song “Why Not Tonight” nearly weekly, either at Wednesday night or Sunday morning/evening service. It’s an exhortation to be saved tonight; tomorrow is not promised (and not just May 21, 2011: no day is promised to anyone). The only time we really have to do anything is right now.
This song and sentiment have been with me since Wednesday. I’ve been working a lot lately, trying to save up for my trip, get ahead on bills, and get my car prepared. Between working on paperwork to earn extra income and cleaning my apartment, I find myself putting a lot of things off: I’ll catch up on writing on my vacation. I will write this blog post after I finish the dishes. I’ll call my mom once I edit this chapter. Everything I want to do seems to be perpetually in the future.
Do you ever feel like you’re chasing the future, like so many of the things you want to do must be done later? That’s how I’ve been feeling. I feel as if I’m waiting to be given permission to pursue my dreams. But what if tomorrow never comes? Would I be happy going today? No. I haven’t put forth the amount of effort I know it would take for me to be published. If someone died tomorrow that I’ve been putting off calling or visiting (again), I couldn’t take it. Yet things continually get pushed further and further into the future.
So today, I am embracing the “why not tonigdht” mentality. I am not going to put off following my chosen path to success and fulfillment. I will not keep unconsciously assuming I have a tomorrow to push things of until. I want to go for it today…right after work. (Just kidding) As the song says “tomorrow’s sun may never rise/to bless thy lomg deluded sight./This is the time; oh then be wise; be saved, o tonight!”
I hope this encourages you to do that thing you’ve been putting off. There’s no time but the present, for any of us. That’s my two cents, anyway. Leave yours in the comments section.
I needed to read this this morning. I’ve felt so “stuck” lately, like a car that won’t turn over: you hear the engine cranking, but all the noise is for naught, because it’s not actually going anywhere. A rut where you still dream of greatness (or at least ‘more’) is the most frustrating kind of rut there is.
But you’re right, at some point, we have to just “do.” Tim McGraw has a song, Live Like You Were Dying, and while it’s not speaking to salvation- the most important item on our to-do lists- it does talk about not taking life for granted. And I firmly believe God is disappointed when He’s blessed us with time, and talent, and vision, and ability and we don’t use it to it’s potential. Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth! Thanks for the renewed inspiration…
LikeLike