I recently wrote an article for the Illinois Baptist about my time working at McDonald's. I have a lot of stories from those years of working the drive-thru, frying burgers and waiting on customers. One day we learned that we would have some visitors from the corporate office coming the next week. The managers went into full-swing to prepare the restaurant.

We had extra crew meetings to make sure that we knew all the guidelines and procedures for preparing food and serving the customers. Every table in the dining area was checked for loose legs and to remove gum from underneath. Every piece of equipment was moved in the kitchen to make sure every inch was cleaned. Some of us were even asked to stay all-night the night before the visit, to do a final cleaning and wipe down of every surface. I spent the night scrubbing the grease residue off the top of the walk-in cooler.

The managers were so nervous that those from the corporate office would find something wrong. During the whole process I kept wondering why they were so nervous. If we all knew the procedures of cooking and serving and were doing them properly every day, there shouldn't be a problem. If we were cleaning on a regular basis the way we should, no fault should be found in the inspection. Why wait until the final hour to be ready?

When I was a kid, I sometimes put off doing things that my parents had asked me to do. At that age when sisters are young enough to take baths together, my parents had to set a timer to encourage us to complete our bath in a timely manner. Otherwise, we found ways to spend hours playing without ever getting in the tub. I can remember on more than one occasion, standing in the bathroom and hearing the timer go off. I knew that I was supposed to have completed my bath by that time, but I was still fully clothed. Thinking I could fool my dad, I would quickly jump in the tub, scrub as fast as I could, and hope I could somehow beat the clock. There was no fooling my dad. If I had just been doing what was expected, I would not have been in a panic about completing my bath time.

Now I am getting ready to sell the house. So now, time is of the essence. Pulling wallpaper, painting and changing the flooring have risen to the top of the priority list. I am asking myself, "Why did I wait until the final hour to do this work?"

Many of us have a list of things that we are waiting to do. I'm not sure what we are waiting for. Maybe it is for finances to be in place. Maybe it is for the kids to be out of the house. Maybe it is until the time seems right. Maybe it is until we have more free time. Maybe it is until we have no other choice.

Let me encourage you to "not put off what you can do today." Don't wait to make the changes to your life that you know God is calling you to make. Don't wait to go on that vacation with your spouse or family. Don't wait to take that mission trip you have been thinking and praying about. Don't wait to share the Gospel with that person who needs to hear about Jesus. Don't wait to give yourself completely to God.

Take advantage of the opportunities you have before you. There is no time like the present. And there is much less stress involved if you don't wait until the last minute.

Serena Butler

Illinois WMU Executive Director

(217) 391-3143