Don't Wait for a Crisis

I just installed a new computer virus protection program on my computer. The license on my old program expired. I could have waited but I didn't. I have had a virus on a computer before. I had to wipe the hard drive to get rid of the thing. I don't ever want that again.

Yet, people who will readily update their virus protection will not take other precautions until they become crises. For example, many parents will wait until they are having troubles with their children before they begin coming to church as a family. They want the church to "fix" their child. Of course, that is not really what they want. They don't want to be bothered by their children. They want to be able to live their lives the way they want to without their children getting in the way. They want to be proud of their children but they don't want to take the steps to have something to be proud of. They want their children to make them proud without any effort from the parents. That world doesn't exist.

People wait for many other crises before they will take action. How many people do you know started exercising and watching what they ate after they had bypass surgery? Or how many do you know that stopped smoking after lung cancer was discovered? Or finally lost weight after the doctor told them they wouldn't live for ten more years if they continued to live like they were? Do we actually need a crisis before we will do what we should?

There are two paths we can travel every day. There is the path of procrastination, least resistance, what makes me feel good. Then, there is the path of doing what I must. This path flosses it's teeth, exercises, reads it's Bible, prays, is always honest, takes it's children to church, takes it's spouse out for a weekly date and mows the lawn before the neighborhood association puts a "Worst Yard of the Month" placard in it's yard.

It makes no sense to wait for a crisis. Crises are hard to recover from.

The road that diverges from the path of least resistance has two lanes. They are: what I need to be doing that I am not doing and what am I doing that I need to stop. You must travel both lanes to avoid crises.

Things are going to continue the same direction unless something changes. (You can quote me on this but I am not close to original.) Where are you going to be if you continue doing what you are doing?

Remember, it takes a thimble of water to put out the spark that starts the forest fire. 

I won't have a compute virus because I took time to download a computer virus protection program. This is one of the many things I must do to avoid a crisis so I can live in peace. What do you need to do today to keep you from a crisis?