PUNCTUALITY, THE SOUL OF BUSINESS

JUST THINKING :

One of the greatest challenges of people in this generation is punctuality. We talk about it but the environments in which we live and the nature of some people affect our sense of it. Hence, some people have been tagged perpetual late-comers. 
Someone once said that no one will take you seriously if you are not always punctual. Many people have lost opportunities because of lateness. I was told of a Christian who had been praying and believing God for a miracle.  He was always in church meetings on time but the day he was supposed to be visited by an angel,  he came late to church. The angel had come with the answer to his prayer but he was not there. After waiting for a long time, the angel left. The person in question came into the church some minutes after the angel had left.  
We may see it as bad luck and others may see it as an unfair thing,  but the truth is punctuality is the soul of every business.
In the business world,  a minute late for an appointment can make you lose a business deal, a client, a job and contract. You may have legitimate reasons for not being punctual but we all should pray that the day we run late is not the of our visitation, the day of our break through, the day of a major contract and the day of an interview  for that great job we have been working hard to get.
There are people who are known as perpetual late -comers. No matter how important the appointment is, they will come late. Others, due to traffic or due to one thing or the other that is beyond them, they go late for events. Although, we all run late from time to time, I hope the day you are not punctual for that meeting will not be the day of your visitation.
According to someone, "Punctuality is not holding others back with our inadequacies; it is a form of reverence which respects the time of others, and acts quickly when God and others call on us. This shows that you care and respect others. It is realizing that time is important; the time of others is valuable. Time is a treasure and an investment that pays off in eternity. We are not to waste or take advantage of others. We are to strive to do our best with all God has given, including the time and opportunities of our own and that of others. 
Many great philosophers have stated, "Time is the furnace in which we burn." Our life and opportunities are very limited. When we detain others, we are infringing on their character and opportunities. We are, in fact, wasting what God has given us and preventing others from exercising what God has given them. When we impede others, we are robbing them of their gifts and opportunities."
Colossians 4:5 says,  Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
People are not punctual because of lack of planning, doing wrong things the day before, leaving home late, waking up late, procrastination,  bad time management, cultural and regional mentality, personal beliefs, laziness, attention they get when they come in late, reasons beyond their control, and so on. If we work on those things, I believe we will be able to redeem the time to a great extent in the area of punctuality.