Lazy versus Work

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Proverbs 6:6     Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!  Without having a chief, or officer, or ruler, she prepares her b read in summer and gathers food in harvest.

Proverbs 10:4-5     A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.  He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.

Proverbs 12:11      Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.

Proverbs 14:28     All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty

Proverbs 13:4     The soul of the lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

Proverbs 19:15     Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.

Ecclesiastes 9:10     Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

Ecclesiastes 10:18     Because of laziness, the building decays, and through idleness of hands, the house leaks.

Ephesians 4:28     Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Colossians 3:23-24     Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.  You are serving the Lord.

2 Thessalonians 3:10     If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

 

I like to be busy, not crazy active so that I fear something that is important falls through the cracks or gets overlooked when I say, “I will do that next after this project.”  It’s important for me to review all the things I completed at the end of the day.  If I find something not completed on my mental review, I get a little nervous and anxious, especially if it is an important task that needed to be completed that day.  Usually, if I find something not done, I can add it to the next day’s list, no harm, no foul.

I tend to write down the things I plan to do in a day.  It helps with organizing my time, especially if I have a lot of outside errands.  But I find I can be lazy and lackadaisical without a list.  Tend to then to only have 2-3 things I would like to start or finish those days, so it is easy to keep pushing the time later to begin them.  Exercise and using the rowing machine was supposed to start December 21 after my brother put it together.  And I liked using a rowing machine years ago when I was going to the gym often.   Today is January 18, and I still have not used it.  Tomorrow is a busy day, but possibly Saturday it will get some use. 

I don’t take the time or put in the energy to do time on the machine and burn some calories.  Or is it lazy.  A big part of me does believe it is laziness when it comes to exercising.  Why?  Not sure why.  There’s a desire to get in better shape, to get the heart rate increased, to burn calories, to improve muscle tone, to feel as though I am doing something that is positive for my health and looks.

According to some of the research I did, both laziness and workaholic tendencies stem from the same cause—self-worship.  In an article that appeared in crossway.org  the article entitled “The Idolatry of Spiritual Laziness” December,21, 2011.  Oftentimes, especially with workaholics, these people work so hard because of low self-esteem, low confidence, and the need to achieve status and success.   When one thinks of lazy persons, we see self-indulgent, maybe self-worship.  But the article said also self-esteem issues. . .  Hmm, Okay, well maybe. 

If one has low self-esteem it is harder to get out and continue to walk the streets looking for a job and feeling as though at SOME one of the doors you walk through you might be successful.  It is harder and harder to walk through the doors presenting your resume and trying to get someone of authority to see you as a person who would benefit their company.  Someone with very low self-esteem would have a difficult time the longer they looked for a position, and the more they might have been turned down for a position. 

Both workaholic and lazy persons, especially unemployed can hurt their families.  Workaholics believe they are benefiting their family, and themselves.  They will be making more money, allowing more benefits and material things for themselves and their families.  They can excuse the fact they are not WITH their family, they are supplying “stuff” for themselves and their families.  Their children will have opportunities to play all the expensive sports—there is no longer neighborhood games of pickup, baseball, touch football, or basketball or whatever.  Remember the good ol’ days of playing for fun instead of competition in all manners. 

Certainly, more pressure on parents to supply the teams to play whatever sports, or dance classes, or gymnastics, or whatever skill wants to be promoted.  Lots of money now goes to organized sports for these children which seems to me to add to the competition and pressures, and certainly on the parents to supply the costs of the children to play—and with numerous children, certainly the costs are multiplied. 

My daughter and her husband spend a lot of time taking one child to this soccer practice/match, and one of the other two to another field or court and so on.  Sometimes, between the three children, all three are playing on different fields within an hour of one another.  Pressure for the funds, pressure to ensure all three get to the proper field/team, and pressure for the kids to play the best game, have the proper uniforms and with growing bodies, socks that are high enough, shoes that fit well, and all the other aspects of the uniforms.  And when the game or practice is finished, then homework and the pressures of getting satisfying grades.

I didn’t feel those pressures playing on the neighborhood teams.  I was not the best athlete, and for me it was just fun, not pressure, not stress, just a bunch of kids I cared about all playing and sharing a game and having fun.

I wonder about the pressure that workaholics have.  Keep working, don’t share vacations with family, but supply them with the good time, minus the workaholic, him or herself.    It seems to be there is a wider separation between folks now.  The folks who are lazy feel less and less, and their feelings of low self-esteem seem to grow larger and larger, while the workaholics seem to work harder to gain more and more, to get the accolades of being a ‘great hard worker’ and to supplying for his family and others with all the pleasures they could want—even if they cannot share in the quality time with others.

Again, we have to look at the reason we have who we think are “justifiable” sins because we are doing the best for family, supplying extras for them, and so forth.  While the lazy ones feel they are not the best to supply their family with even the regular needs, never mind the extras, and they center their thoughts on their selfish and low self-esteem and their stress increases feeling they are not good providers, they are not supplying enough for their family, and make it plain “there is not enough money. . .” 

I have lazy moments at times, but thankfully I do work and take care of my responsibilities.  And, since retirement, I do not have to be in competition.  God does not want us to be lazy and not pulling our own weight in projects that need to be done.  He has given us unique skills to be better at certain tasks and accomplishing goals. 

Thank You, Lord, that You have equipped me with certain skills, and I am therefore able to finish the task that needs to be accomplished.  You have supplied me with what I need and guided me and ‘mybellaviews.’