Ecclesiastes 11:4
“If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done!”

Do you ever find yourself struggling to begin a certain task, project, relationship, or really a myriad of others things for the simple reason you are waiting for the conditions to be just right? You are holding out until things are ideal and everything is, well, perfect.

If we’re honest, many of us would admit we often fail to start what we know we should because we are waiting for the picture-perfect situation. When we do this, we will always be able to find a reason why we should wait. However, the problem we run into when waiting for the perfect setting before moving forward is simply that perfect will never come.  More often than not life will not afford us the time or money to create the perfect conditions we are waiting on.

This past fall my husband participated in a healthy living challenge through work. He along with his team members each committed to losing 10% of their body weight over a 3-month period and then sustaining the weight loss for an additional 3 months with the overall goal of making it a permanent lifestyle change. While I thought participating in the challenge was a fantastic idea, I was a bit skeptical about the timing. I mean, who starts a weight loss challenge in the fall? I mean seriously, here in Minnesota with the days getting shorter and the temps getting colder, fall is the time of year to switch the oven on and mix up some delicious baked goods and warm comforting dinners – goodbye smoothies, hello homemade bread and cheese laden casseroles. As I questioned the timing of the challenge, thinking of a hundred reasons why it would be better to wait, my husband reminded me an excuse could always be found for not taking on such a feat. He made a remark about how there is never a perfect time to do the things we know we should. His comment reminded me there is never a better time to start something than today.

Perhaps you can relate. You know there is something you should do, but it always seems it would be better to wait…just a bit longer…until the time is perfect. You know you should eat healthier, but decide to wait until after that next big get together. You know you should go back to school, but think it would be better if the kids were just a bit older. You want to start that business, but decide you need just a bit more training first. While the various decisions we make no doubt present valid concerns and we are wise to give them due consideration, don’t let the vision of the ever elusive perfect conditions keep you stuck in the status quo.

Ecclesiastes 4:11 reminds us, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done!”

What is that thing for you that you know you should do, yet you keep putting off for another time? While the time might not be perfect, perhaps it is close enough.

In case you are wondering what happened in regard to my husband and his healthy living challenge, he and his team stayed focused on their goal and produced incredible results. Apparently the conditions didn’t need to be perfect after all.

I recently came across a quote by William B. Sprague that said, “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.” What iron will you commit to making hot this week? Don’t wait, start now because there is never going to be a better time!