Don’t Delay, Make a Plan Today

By Lauren Madsen

I did it to myself—I had no one to blame but me. The remodel of our kitchen and family room was perfect. Fresh flooring, spacious cabinets, and shiny countertops. There was only one thing left to do: give a new coat of paint to the trim and doors down the hallway. Maybe it’s because I was just ready to get back to normal life, or maybe it’s because I could hands-down win an award for The Messiest Painter Ever, but whatever the reason, I hadn’t pulled out the paint to finish the job. 

For two years.

It wasn’t that I didn’t know that final step of painting needed to be done. And it isn’t as though I hadn’t had pockets of time to do it. Sure, things in our house are often busy and we seem to jump from one thing to the next most of the time. But I didn’t make finishing a priority, and every time I had it on the calendar, something else came up. At first I would calendar it in for a different day, but eventually I bumped it back in my mind to “later” without putting it on the calendar at all. I was stuck in what became a perpetual cycle of procrastination, a self-inflicted torture.

This past month I had finally had enough. Tired of being haunted daily by this unfinished task, I cleared my morning, grabbed a new drop cloth and brush, taped everything off, and applied a nice bright white coat of paint. It took me a few hours, and it was as messy as I imagined. But it was done! If you’ve ever finally gotten around to the thing you’ve been procrastinating, you know the feeling that followed. Pride, accomplishment, satisfaction, relief. Then the inevitable question: Why didn’t I do this sooner? 

Elder Randall K. Bennett taught, “We must counter the natural man’s tendency to procrastinate, to put off, or to give up.” Until I read it, I had never thought about procrastination as a natural man tendency. Of course it is! And overcoming that natural tendency brings with it pride, accomplishment, satisfaction, and relief. President Henry B. Eyring once said, “Satan tempts with procrastination throughout our days of probation.” He was referring specifically to delaying repentance, but I believe it applies to procrastination of anything that will help us through mortal life, including temple attendance.

We may be tempted to use our present circumstances or season of life as an acceptable excuse for infrequent temple attendance. Certainly there are legitimate reasons that getting to the temple is difficult, including things like distance, time, and cost. Yet I wonder if perhaps sometimes we succumb to the natural man and the adversary’s influence in our reasons.

When we choose to delay temple worship we may be inadvertently choosing to delay the arrival of spiritual strength we need. President Russell M. Nelson promised, “Nothing will help you more to hold fast to the iron rod than worshipping in the temple as regularly as your circumstances permit. Nothing will protect you more as you encounter the world’s mists of darkness. Nothing will bolster your testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement or help you understand God’s magnificent plan more. Nothing will soothe your spirit more during times of pain. Nothing will open the heavens more. Nothing!”

If we take a minute to internalize these promises, it is easy to see why Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ would not want us to delay or procrastinate time in the temple. They want each and every one of these blessings for us. On the flip side, we can understand why Satan tries so hard to keep us away. 

I find it helpful when possible to have a temple appointment scheduled and on my calendar. As soon as my visit is over, I schedule a new appointment so that it is always on my calendar, part of my plan. How regularly we serve in the temple is between us and the Lord. We know He loves effort, and we also know He understands limitations. Partner with Him as you create intentional time to be in His House. Remember the words of President Thomas S. Monsoon, “To live most fully, we must do that which is of greatest importance. Let us not procrastinate those things which matter most.”