Early is on time. On time is late. Late is – well, unacceptable! Does anyone else live by that same philosophy? If so, today is a day that is going to send you over the edge. Perhaps you should take some medication before reading this. Today has been designated National Be Late For Something Day. It’s been recognized since 1956 when the Procrastinator’s Club of America was founded by Les Waas. Naturally, they procrastinated a bit after the founding of the club before introducing the day.
According to Waas, “Most people think they don’t have time to stop and smell the roses. This day tries to alleviate that factor.”1 I agree that we are guilty of rushing through life and missing out on the simple pleasures of life like smelling the roses. But do your sniffing on your own time, not on someone else’s time.
It has been said that it’s acceptable to be “fashionably late.” This is defined as arriving “10-15 minutes after the appointed time of an event…The term suggests the person is busy enough and important enough that their late arrival is acceptable. Arriving fashionably later also puts the spotlight on the late arrival since most guests will have arrived at the scheduled time.”2
The National Day Calendar says it well when it points out that the late arriver deems
themselves “important enough” to warrant their lateness. And it definitely puts the spotlight on them but not in the good way that they think.
We all know that things can happen that can cause us to be late on occasion, things that just can’t be anticipated. That is not the point of this day. The focus of the devotional is on the habitually late individual. If that describes you, I beg of you – stop it! You are causing great distress to so many and providing a stumbling block for others.
As much as we wish, there is no Bible verse that says “thou shalt not be tardy.” There are Biblical principes, though, that should help to deter those who think that their lateness is a virtue. For instance, 1 Corinthians 13:5 says that charity “Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own…” Charity doesn’t behave poorly or rudely. It thinks of other people. If a person is constantly late, this is rude behavior that doesn’t think about other people or the reputation it creates. Ecclesiastes 7:1 says, “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.”
Perpetual lateness is also an integrity issue. Author and blogger, Joshua Infantado, writes, “Whether you like it or not, people will judge you depending on how punctual 
you are. If you can’t even make it on time, people will think of you as unreliable, undependable, and untrustworthy.” Therefore, your integrity comes into question. Luke 16:10 says, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” You may get defensive and say, “I was just a little late.” So, you weren’t faithful with that little nugget of time. Why should you be trusted with larger nuggets of time which would probably carry greater moments of responsibility?
We jokingly say, “They will be late to their own funerals!” An announcement might be made like this. “Our event starts at 7:00 p.m. – or 6:45 p.m. for all who are consistently late.” However, this isn’t a joke. Since time is a commodity that cannot be retrieved once it’s spent, it would seem like we should treat every second as precious and not waste a moment being late.
I leave you with Paul’s words spoken to the church of Colossae in Colossians 4:5. “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.”
1https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-be-late-for-something-day-september-5
2Ibid.
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