How Do You Know If You’re Lazy? (Proverbs 6)
What’s the difference between having sustainable rhythms and being lazy? Ask this question to individuals of different generations or ethnic backgrounds, and you’ll receive different answers.
Proverbs 6
Today's Scripture Passage
A Few Thoughts to Consider
What’s the difference between having sustainable rhythms and being lazy?
Ask this question to individuals of different generations or ethnic backgrounds, and you’ll receive different answers. David A. Hubbard writes, “Laziness is a breach of love. It refuses to carry its own weight let alone help with the loads of the rest of us who plod along supporting our young, our aged, our infirm. We have no surplus energy to carry those who can walk and will not.”[1]
Proverbs 6 helps us understand the DNA of a lazy person. In Proverbs 6:6-11, the author says:
6 Go to the ant, you slacker!
Observe its ways and become wise.
7 Without leader, administrator, or ruler,
8 it prepares its provisions in summer;
it gathers its food during harvest.
9 How long will you stay in bed, you slacker?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest,
11 and your poverty will come like a robber,
your need, like a bandit.
This ant is likely the harvester ant, common in Palestine.[2] It’s an interesting comparison because we see chaos when we first look at an ant colony. Only through careful observation do we see the structure. The ants aren’t just busy; they are strategic. Sid S. Buzzell notes, “The virtue of wisdom is not in being busy but in having a proper view of forthcoming needs that motivate one to action (cf. 10:5). Those who act only when commanded do not possess wisdom.”[3]
The greatest problem with lazy people is they live unstructured lives. They get up when they want, meet the minimal requirements of their jobs, and are a burden to others.
But wise people with sustainable rhythms work hard and know when to stop. Through trial and error, they recognize their bodily and relational limitations. They prioritize spending time with God first thing in the morning and know how to set work aside at the end of the day and be present with their families.
A Meditation to PRAY
Praise | I praise you for creating a world with rhythms and rest.
Release | I release the desire to hold my time in my control. Help me to spend my days in a way that honors and glorifies you.
