A Lot of Empty Yesterdays
Recently, our family watched the 1962 musical, The Music Man. It stars Robert Preston as a charlaton, Harold Hill, who travels from city to city conning people out of their money, pretending to prepare a boys band. Usually, he gets the music teacher on his side. This time, he does not anticipate falling in love with the town piano teacher and librarian, Marian Paroo, played by Shirley Jones.
At one point toward the end of the movie, when he realizes he is in love with her, they are talking and she tries to put him off until tomorrow. Hill responds: “Oh, my dear little librarian. You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to make today worth remembering.”
The Scriptures teach the same thing relative to tomorrow. On one hand, Jesus teaches us: “do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). Don’t borrow from tomorrow’s anxieties; handle today’s and that will be enough. We need to learn to live one day at a time and live it with enthusiasm for our service to Christ.
As described above, their rage can be ignited by a belief that they are being mistreated or ignored that is simply not based in reality. regencygrandenursing.com on line viagra This is the main reason for getting erectile dysfunction than a man in his discount cialis twenties. Safety measures:Before you begin taking Sildenafil, tell your speregencygrandenursing.com vardenafil tablets indiat or drug speviagrat expeditiously. It is finished up of various chemical component in which sildenafil cialis buy cheap citrate is the active ingredient used, that contains 100 mg strength of its dosage. But Paul also encourages us: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). In this context, Paul teaches us to use our time the best we can, walking carefully and wisely. Procrastination is the thief of productivity.
In order not to have a “lot of empty yesterdays,” we should use today as wisely as possible. Seize the day and perform what you can get done today. My grandfather would say, “Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow because tomorrow you may not have to do it?” But that’s why he drove a car with poor shock absorbers – the shocks sat on his garage shelf for years. Dad would ask Grandpa why he hadn’t put the shocks on; Grandpa would respond, “They’ll last longer there.” But then, do they dry rot? Were they worth anything?
It takes decisiveness to make decisions today and follow through with them today. It takes faith that God will work all things together for our good. We ought not to do things rashly; we should do them saturated with prayer. But, don’t procrastinate! Do them. Make the most of your time. You can’t control tomorrow. You can control what you do today.
Do you need to show your love for someone? Do it today. Do you need to serve someone? Do it today. Do you need to stop a sinful habit and begin a healthy habit? Do it today. “If you pile up enough tomorrows, you’ll find that you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays.”
–Paul Holland
