“When would now be a good time?” has been attributed to many people, but I first heard it from my son who got it from Tony Robbins, the motivational speaker. Here’s what David Meerman Scott wrote in 2018:

Last week, I enjoyed presenting … at the Tony Robbins Business Mastery event in Las Vegas. The energy in the room was remarkable! While everything shared from the stage by Tony and me and the other great speakers … has potential for massive business change, the key is execution. You must start. Now.

“When would now be a good time?” asks Tony Robbins.

…

No change happens without action.

“Execution trumps knowledge every day of the week,” Tony says. 

We’ve noticed the past two days that Jesus sent people out on mission way sooner than we tend to do. I don’t know why churches are so slow to pick up on this. There are the Biblical examples we looked at: the demon-possessed guy of Mark 5, Matthew the tax collector in Mark 2, and the woman at the well in John 4. There are other examples as well. I’ve told this story from Alcoholics Anonymous before, but it’s worth repeating:

Two AA members went to call on a first-time visitor. The new guy asked one of the members, “How long have you been sober?” He replied, “23 years.” Then he asked the other one the same question: “two weeks.” The new guy turned to the 2-week guy and said, “Tell me how you did it.”

The story haunts me because we in the church would almost never send out a 2-week guy!

Back in the 70s, there was a profound book making the rounds, written by a former Communist, now a Christian: Dedication and Leadership by Douglas Hyde. While decrying the message of Communism and the way it works out in real life, Hyde said there were lessons to be learned in their training methods. The only one I remember (from nearly 50 years ago) was that they would take new members and immediately put them on the street selling Communist literature. The idea was that as they were insulted and asked questions they couldn’t answer, they would become more committed to the movement, and they’d pay attention to instruction on how to answer those questions. Being sent out on mission was a vital part of their training.

It’s not as hard as we make it out to be. Recall the story I shared a few days ago about the hockey fan who noticed a cancerous mole and warned the person. That story beautifully illustrates the simple implementable strategy I wrote about in Join the Adventure:

• Be there
• Pay attention
• Do what you can
• Tell the truth

But the story also illustrates “go before you’re trained.” The young lady intends to become a medical doctor. But she’s not one yet. She could have thought, “I shouldn’t say anything. After all, I’m not a doctor. I haven’t been trained.”

Let’s make 2022 our year to be God’s agent wherever we are. When would now be a good time to start?

Maybe Jesus’ word to the disciples about the Samaritan woman’s village applies:

As you look around right now, wouldn’t you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time! (John 4.34 – 35, MSG – in other words, Pay attention! When would now be a good time?)