The head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy, touched on the problem of procrastination – the habit of postponing everything, accumulating unfinished business in the hope of doing it “someday tomorrow.” He noted that inaction distances us from God and every delayed deed weighs heavily on people before completely paralyzing them.
“Revisiting the Gospel of John, he reflected on the Savior’s words, which he uttered when he met a blind beggar: ‘As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.’(John 9: 4). And the Savior heals him, and he sees again – that’s despite it being a Sabbath, a holy day. What does the Savior teach us by His example? He works a miracle “as long as it is day,” without postponing it, although he seems to have a good reason to do so. He offers His grace here and now, and thus addresses each of us: act today, do good today, don’t postpone today’s work for tomorrow. People don’t know how much time they have left, so tomorrow may be too late. And the good deed for which we are responsible will remain unfinished,” Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine wrote on Facebook.
He also explained how people can learn to act immediately, as our Lord Jesus Christ taught.
“First of all, you need to clearly understand why you need this or that business that you are postponing to be done, what can it change and how will it help to serve your neighbors or you personally. It is important to be able to formulate the ultimate goal, to understand the possible consequences of your action – and your inaction. It would be a mistake to justify postponing business for ‘tomorrow’ with the lack of time. After all, it is the lack of time – as mortal men are limited in it – that, on the contrary, should motivate men to act, set priorities, hurry up, and allow no delay in keeping God’s commandments (Ps. 118: 60). We cannot postpone good deeds, repentance, salvation of our neighbor, or our own growth and self-improvement – all that the Lord created us for,” reads the Facebook entry by the OCU Primate.
The Lord gives a hint: it is necessary to act gradually, “dividing” a huge and allegedly impossible task into successive small steps, he notes
“And another reason for procrastination, which is often discussed by people prone to it, is the fear of being imperfect. Fearing to make a mistake, failing to perform at 100% capacity, a man does nothing. And we are able to turn this fear, which slows a man down, into our main driver. After all, the fear of being imperfect arises from the great good that a man cherishes in his heart – the striving for perfection. We must always remember that only God is perfect. And by doing good, we continually improve ourselves by reaching out to the Lord, while inaction draws us away from Him. So act, act with love and God’s blessing, but do not postpone your good deeds and benevolence,” Metropolitan Epifaniy concluded.
It should be recalled that Metropolitan Epifaniy earlier met with the leadership of the Ukrainian Bible
