Summer is finally upon us. Most kids are out of school now. It’s time to kick back a bit with less hectic schedules. Most of you with kids are looking forward to a summer vacation while the kids are home. I don’t have kids but even for me the summer is less jam-packed with commitments. We all need time to unwind and be refreshed. Jesus even took time away from the crowds to rest and spend time with those closest to Him.
However, the Bible also tells us what happens when we go a little too far the other way and tend toward laziness. There are a number of Proverbs that refer to the sluggard or being slothful. We don’t use these words often but they are fun to say—go ahead—say “sloth” and “slothful” out loud. Anyone familiar with the movie “Ice Age” knows Syd who is a sloth. Both his actions and speech lack any real enthusiasm.
The sluggard is a lazy, slothful person who doesn’t like to work. In fact a sluggard will spend his/her energy trying to avoid work so he/she can rest. I heard a sermon called “The Danger of Laziness” by Joshua Harris that illustrated this very well.
Here are two Proverbs that I believe give an excellent visual of the sluggard:
“As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.” Proverbs 26:14
“The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!” Proverbs 19:24
Both have funny visuals if you think about them. Imagine being hinged to your bed and just turning from one side to the other. Josh said that Proverbs 19:24 is equivalent to our sticking our hand into a bag of chips but being too lazy to even bring our hand to our mouth. Imagine!
Most of us work really hard. We are always busy so how could we be lazy? I think the question becomes whether we are doing what truly needs to be done. For me, if I am faced with a difficult task I will find all kinds of things to do to avoid that task. I politely call it procrastination but it’s really a tendency toward slothfulness. We all do it and it’s very subtle, especially in our wired age. It’s not like we are sitting around eating bon bons. However, we don’t have time to help a friend in need, pray, or study the Bible but we have time to check our email twenty times a day, stalk our friends on Facebook and keep up with our “crops” on Farmville. My most recent “time sucker uppers” are blogs. You know how it is…you read one blog post that links to another and before you know it an hour has passed. None of these are necessarily bad things but are they the best use of our time?
John Ortberg says that a sluggard “may work furiously but only because they are trying to avoid something truly needful.”
Are you working hard but neglecting the “truly needful” and important things in your life? If so, how can you grow and change?
Lord, help us to see what is truly needful in our lives and give us the wisdom to choose the things that most glorify You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Have a great day!