Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Laziness


Some people would do anything to be able to do nothing. Laziness, it seems, has become an epidemic in today’s society. More people today are looking for a handout, feeling entitled to the benevolent nature of those who work hard. Sometimes people truly are “down on their luck” and have hit hard times. The economy today isn’t the best. But I’m really speaking to those who refuse to work or put forth effort in things that require work – like marriage, parenting, job, and the biggest one of all…life.

It is so easy to stay in bed sometimes, especially if you don’t want to face what’s on the other side of those warm covers. Postponing decisions and actions is called procrastination, which is form of laziness. Proverbs 6:6-11 tells us that wisdom is not lazy. “Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit. Scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.”

The ant manages his possessions and life without being told to do so (7) and saves up for the future (8). The lazy person stays in bed too long (9-10) and his laziness results in poverty (11). Laziness really is abandoning responsibility. When you procrastinate or are lazy towards working for basic necessities you’ll find that you’ll soon run out of money and supplies. Slothfulness is another word for laziness. Jesus said slothfulness is a sin (Matthew 25:14-30). Proverbs condemns laziness in at least thirty three verses. Slothfulness says, “do it tomorrow, cut corners, don’t strain yourself, someone else will do it.” Laziness cheats on exams, doesn’t change out the toilet paper roll, and never leaves things better than they found them. A lazy man goes hungry (Proverbs 19:15; 2 Thessalonians 3:10).

It is interesting to me the difference of size in the ant and the sluggard. The ant is small and seemingly helpless but doesn’t need anyone telling it to work or prepare for hard times. I’ve seen more times than not an older, frail woman working harder than a young, strong man. Why is that? Wisdom is lived out by overcoming laziness, taking responsibility, and learning not to be a drain on everyone else. These verses in Proverbs encourage and urge everyone, especially youth, to be industrious and prepared. When you are slothful you will reap the rewards of slothfulness. When you are diligent, you will reap the rewards of diligence. Some signs of slothfulness are too much sleep, too much talking, lack of motivation, full of excuses, wastes what you do have, and procrastination.   Laziness does as little as it can to get by but fully expects the biggest rewards.

God desires you to busy, active, and productive with your life. Cutting corners, expecting others to take up your slack, and always looking for someone else to pay your bill is laziness. If you don’t have a job don’t stop putting in applications until you get one. And take the first one – after all, some money is better than no money. Be faithful and work hard at that job and use it to get a better one. No one starts out at the top of any job. If you have a job, be the best worker at your job. When cutbacks come, and they will, let the bosses say, “we can’t cut them, they are too valuable to us.” Bottom line, laziness wastes life. Don’t be lazy, be wise!

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