Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Laziness and foolishness – hand in hand?

Something that I have struggled with for as long as I can remember is laziness. Now, there have been times in my life that I stayed busy, but in my heart I was still lazy. And it seems that even now, as an adult with much responsibility, laziness lurks around the corner, trying to lure me in every day.
Since I began reading the Bible, about 7 ½ years ago, I have enjoyed reading the book of Proverbs. Someone told me once, and I’ve heard it many times since, that there are 31 Proverbs, one for each day of the month. So I go through seasons of my life when I try to read one Proverb a day. I realized today that the word “lazy” appears in the book of Proverbs (NKJV), 14 times. Fourteen! And let me just say, without listing all 14 references, that every one of them has a negative connotation (obviously). If the Bible is my guide in life, and I have the head knowledge that laziness is such a terrible attribute, why do I struggle still? Some days I am certainly more productive than others but too many days are wasted away. How much time is okay to waste when I have committed myself to a life of working for my Savior? I pray that He will continually change my heart so I may do more for Him.
The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.” Proverbs 15:19

5 comments:

  1. wow...Erin its like you have been in my head this week. Thank you!
    <3 Abbie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amen Erin. Sometimes I think we can be considered "busy" in the world's eyes and lazy in God's eyes. The thing I think we need to think about is where are our priorities. So many times we can be so caught up in be busy in the world's standards that we think we are being busy in God's standard too which is usually not the case. Being busy for God is being totally devoted for Him I would say and doing this by way of training up our children, reading His Word daily, in daily communication with Him in prayer and evangelism as well. I know I need to work on this... All of us do...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Erin- i agree with Michelle. I most days fill my plate so full of "wordly" todo's that make me crazy busy and leave me no time for God's TODO's . I have really been trying to put more emphasis on God's todos and not mine. After coming back from AA I have a much needed renewed spirit and energy to go out and speak for the Gospel as that is what He would have us stay busy with!
    Thanks for the reminder!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, ladies for your encouragement...this is something I want to be different in my life. And it takes patience as God works in our lives because He often does things much sloooooooooower than we would have Him do. And amazingly, while He is seemingly so slow, His timing is perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice use of the scriptures, Erin. :)

    ReplyDelete