Well, we finally got the Christmas tree up…after Thanksgiving…before the Christmas band concerts and parties. In my humble opinion, it was the right time to do it. No doubt there will be two primary responses to our timing. Some of you are thinking, “Cory! What’s wrong with you? It’s way too late for that! You should’ve had that tree up while your turkey was frying!” Others are saying, “Thank you for your sanity and reasonableness. I’ll be over this weekend with my Christmas sweater, Bing Crosby, and eggnog!” This is one of those, mostly, friendly discussions that comes up every year. When is it the right time to put up your Christmas tree? The real answer, whether you like it or not, is, “Whenever you want to.”

However, there are a lot of actions in our lives that require a much more urgent response. Things that, for some reason, we have a tendency to put off “just a little bit longer,” or “until the timing in right.” Sadly, such reasoning tends to result in perpetual procrastination, and we never see them accomplished.

For instance:

• When is the right time to apologize for hurting someone? (Matt 5:23-24)
• When is the right time to use kind words? (Eph. 4:29)
• When is the right time to be a peacemaker instead of a pot-stirrer? (Matt. 7:12)
• When is the right time to tell someone you love them? (Rom. 13:8)
• When is the right time to get rid of sinful and harmful habits? (Pro. 28:13)
• When is the right time to give full control of your life to God? (Act 22:16)

The answer to all of the above is, “Now!” Now is the time to do the right thing.

I think it’s safe to say that all of us have one or more of these situations (or something like them) which need to be dealt with immediately. Why are you putting off handling it? Is it really because the timing is not right? Or is it more an issue of personal, stubborn pride? Only you can answer that, and I hope you will answer it honestly. More importantly, I hope we can all understand that the right time is now to do what we know we should.

Cory Waddell