Listener Revisit: Just Get It Done

From the Archive — Listener Revisit

This week we’re revisiting a past episode that pairs directly with our newest release, Begin With the End in Mind.

Planning the destination is important — but planning alone doesn’t produce results. At some point, action has to follow vision.

In this episode, what started as a small task that could have been handled immediately turned into a bigger, more unpleasant problem simply because it was avoided.

And that’s where the lesson lands.

Many of us carry things in our lives that we know need to be addressed — habits, behaviors, sins, difficult conversations, neglected responsibilities. We tell ourselves we’ll deal with them later. But what we ignore doesn’t stay contained. It spreads, affects other areas of life, and can even impact the people around us.

This re-release serves as a practical companion to Begin With the End in Mind:

• Vision shows us where we need to go.
• Discipline and obedience guide us.
• But action is what moves us forward.

If there’s something you’ve been putting off — spiritually, personally, or relationally — this episode is your reminder:

Don’t let it sit.

Don’t let it spread.

Just get it done.

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Talitha Coffee
Talitha Coffee is on a mission to end human trafficking and empower survivors, one cup at a time.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:17

Hello everybody, welcome to another episode of 5 Minutes in Coffee. This last week I decided to be proactive on a Thursday evening. I fixed my lunch and breakfast for Friday when I would go into work. I prepared some oatmeal in a container to take with me for breakfast, and on top of that, I packed myself a sandwich, a yogurt, and a bag of chips so that I could eat lunch. I was going to be productive. The next morning on Friday, on my way out the door, I grabbed my oatmeal container, I grabbed my sandwich, I grabbed my chips, and I grabbed my yogurt and I put it in my lunchbox. After I got to work, I said hello to everyone and I went straight to the break room to warm up my oatmeal. However, when I opened the oatmeal, it was my wife's breakfast who had also prepared something to bring into work. But since I had my heart set on that oatmeal, I decided not to eat her breakfast. I just put it back in my lunchbox. Whatever, I didn't want to deal with it. So when lunchtime came, I ate my sandwich, my chips, and my yogurt. I threw it all the way, and that was the end of that. So the next week I ended up actually working from home, which meant that I didn't need to use my lunchbox and I would just eat at home. About Tuesday of that next week, I looked at my lunchbox and I thought to myself, I don't think I ever took out my wife's breakfast from my lunchbox. I should probably check and clean that out. And then I thought to myself, you know what? It's probably gonna smell bad, and I don't feel like dealing with it. After I had thrown out my sandwich, my yogurt, and my chips, in my mind my lunchbox was empty. And therefore I didn't have a reason to go back and look. So this breakfast from my wife was just sitting in my lunchbox. So on Wednesday I looked at that lunchbox and thought I should clean it out and said, nah, I don't feel like dealing with that right now. I know it smells bad. And this same thought process went on for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I have no idea why removing this container from my lunchbox was so mentally taxing. Then something miraculous happened. I would be going back into work on Monday and I needed my lunchbox. So, wanting to be proactive, I prepared my breakfast and I prepared my lunch, but this time I needed to remove that container from my lunchbox and it smelled as bad as I thought it did. And what I realized is if I had taken care of it earlier in the week when I noticed it, the smell would not have been as bad. But the smell got so bad that I can actually smell it in my lunchbox with the container being removed. So I ended up having to clean that container and clean my lunchbox. So before I get to the point of this story, please say a prayer for me because I didn't actually tell my wife what happened to her breakfast, and she'll be hearing it on this podcast. So say a prayer for me for grace and mercy from my wife. So, what is the point of that story? The point of that story is many of us, including myself, have things about us that we need to get rid of, just like spoiled food. We know we need to get rid of these behaviors, we know that we need to get rid of the people, the habits, and the sins that we allow to fester in our lives. But we think, I'll get to it later, it's not a big deal. And every time we ignore what needs to be done, the stench from that thing gets into other aspects of our lives. We continue on this path because it's easy. For some reason, it's mentally or spiritually taxing to us, which is why we have not addressed it. But the whole time it is stinking up our lives. So, my message to you today is just get it done. Take care of those things that stink up your spiritual life, take care of those things that keep you from being productive, take care of those things that keep you from growing. Just like that smell that got so bad it got onto my lunchbox, so will that thing we procrastinate on ridding ourselves of as it will spill over into the different aspects of our lives. Also, consider will this thing, this stench that we have neglected to remove from ourselves, will this be something that our children or others will see in us and adapt and model because we are showing them a negative example? Will this thing cause us to miss out on great relationships because the stench is pushing those people away whom would be a blessing to you? Will this thing cause you to miss your spiritual growth? Whatever it is, take some time and get it done. That special project, that work that you're procrastinating on, just get it done. That book that you want to write, just get it done. That sin that you want to overcome, just get it done. And all that you do, get it done for God. Thank you for listening to this episode. This is Jeremy, 5 Minutes and Coffee.