Lazy-Boy, That is, How to Not Be One

I confess, I can be lazy. I know that comes as a shock to those who know me (insert sarcasm), but if I may, we all can be at times.

And perhaps that's why God has seen to it that we have a lot of exhortations in Scripture on that very topic.

While I kid a bit with my introduction, I know laziness at times is something I've struggled with in the past. Of course it comes in forms: how we feel affects our productivity, and in my case its often less about laziness per say, and more about uncertainty.

But the results can often be the same: things don't get done.

However this isn't a post about me, but about what Scripture says about this topic and I hope a practical application.

I recently heard a sermon touching on Proverbs 20:13:

"Do not love sleep, or you will become poor; open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food."

Pretty straight forward. Don't love sleep, which doesn't mean don't sleep, rather, have a healthy balance of rest and work. If all you do is rest and relax, then as the Proverb says, you will become poor. Not doing what's needed, neglecting that which is important, leads to poverty not only financially, but in all areas of life.

Instead "open your eyes", be awake, alert to the needs of life; tend to the proper and good things, and you will be satisfied. You'll be fruitful.

Now I do want to point out, given what has been said already, that these words against laziness are not referring to inabilities, infirmities, and other related concerns. It's against the overuse of rest and leisure.

There is, of course, a place for rest in the life of a Christian. It's built into the system as it were. While we can debate the finer points of Sabbatarianism (that is, are we still under the command to set aside a day of rest), that we are called to rest is still an important factor to consider. When that rest begins to turn into laziness is where we ought to beware.

So how can we practically look at this?

Well I believe it's built into the text. As we already touched on, open your eyes.

At the risk of over spiritualizing the text, first we need to open our eyes to our need. As with all of the Christian life, we don't do these things on our own strength. And yet, God works in conjunction with our efforts (Philippians 2:12-13).

So prayerfully consider your needs and open your eyes to your areas of responsibility, and act accordingly.

To an even simpler degree, is there something you desire? Then don't just talk about it; if you can, do something about it (again, prayerfully). Sleeping on the job isn't going to get results.

Of course, all of this I have to say to myself, because as I said I can oftentimes be lazy. Sigh, the joy of writing, right?

But it doesn't make it any less true just because it's true for me and I struggle at times. And so I hope you and I can all improve by God's grace in this.

I do think one final note is needed. Maybe two. Poverty isn't a sin, but the reasons for it can be. That's important. This isn't a verse about getting rich, but about priorities. Secondly, speaking of priorities we have to remember what Jesus said about our needs in Matthew 6. Should we 'let go and let God'? No, but do we need to remember from Whom these things are given and remember to trust He is a loving Father? Yes.

And so, as we strive to be more fruitful, let's do so in a way that honors God, by following His direction and trusting His provision.