Articles
Running Late...Again?
9:30 A.M., 5:00 P.M., 7:00 P.M. Those are the times we have scheduled to come together for Bible study and worship on Sunday and Wednesday, but how often do you find yourself arriving after those designated times? Is coming in late something you and your family are known for? Unforeseen circumstances can occasionally affect anyone, but when it happens fairly regularly, this is something that needs to be changed.
Why It Is a Concern
You will be distracted. Bible study requires focused attention and so does proper worship (Heb. 5:12-14; Eph. 5:19; 1 Cor. 11:26-29; et al), but when you are worrying about being late, hoping no one notices, wondering exactly where we are, etc., it will take you a while to get focused. And if one family member is primarily responsible for the tardiness, it is highly probable that the ride has created tensions within the family and that can cause everyone to be distracted.
You will have created at least a momentary distraction for others. In the classes for younger children, teachers often have a difficult time getting everyone settled and ready to start learning and they don’t need the added difficulty of a late arrival unsettling the other children and requiring the process to be restarted. In the older classes and our worship assemblies, the distraction is usually not as long lasting, but it is still there. If we love our neighbors as ourselves (Rom. 13:9), we will not wish to hurt their efforts to study and worship.
You may force the teacher to start over. Though not always the case, there are studies where the introduction is absolutely critical to understanding the text or topic, so if you or your child miss it, what is the teacher to do? Either you cause the class to have to sit through a second introduction or you and/or your child may struggle to get up to speed in the class.
You miss out on things. Was it “just the announcements” you missed? When we say that do we realize we are talking about missing the names of our brethren who are sick or in some other way need our prayers? While I believe late is better than never, don’t we see the importance of being present for all the songs, prayers, etc. and getting all the Bible instruction in the class?
You set a bad example for others. We all should seek to be a positive influence on the lives of others (Matt. 5:13-16; Phil. 3:17), but what if everyone followed your example in this? Do you want your children to walk in your footsteps? Though you don’t intend for it to be seen this way, others are likely to see your conduct as reflecting a lack of concern for worship and Bible study—is that what you want your children, your brethren, and your neighbors to see in your life?
You miss an opportunity to greet visitors and fellow-saints. We do not only come together for worship and study, but also to exhort and encourage one another (Heb. 10:24, 25) and are urged to “greet every saint Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:21). If we are seeking to imitate our Lord’s concern for the lost (Luke 19:10), we should see the importance of visitors being greeted and made to feel welcome. These things are important, but they can’t be accomplished when we are still in our car or rushing across the parking lot at time to begin.
Why does it matter if we are habitually late? We’ve listed six reasons and could have given more, but who doesn’t know that it is a problem? We don’t like being late, but…
How Can We Fix the Problem?
Begin with a determination to do better. A deeper reverence for God (Heb. 12:28, 29) and a greater love for His word (1 Pet. 2:1-3) will help that resolve. Truly loving your neighbor as yourself (Rom. 13:8-10; Gal. 5:13, 14) will help you make the lifestyle changes necessary to break the habitually late habit. Consider these suggestions.
Change your habits. Spend a few extra minutes Saturday night preparing so that when Sunday morning comes, you have your clothes laid out and ironed (if necessary). Leave the TV off on Sunday mornings if it is a problem. Simplify breakfast if its preparation is throwing you behind. Have an earlier Saturday night bedtime for you and/or your children so that waking up is not an issue. Though these can be helpful, the key is for you to look at your situation, identify the obstacles to being on time, and then remove them.
Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before we are scheduled to begin. If you succeed in getting here early, you can greet people and be relaxed and focused when we begin. But if problems arise and you are running 10 minutes behind, you will still be 5 minutes early and wouldn’t that be nice?
Since no one really likes being late, let’s make a dedicated effort to be on time every time.
All quotations from the New King James Version, copyright 1994, Thomas Nelson, Inc.
