Lazy

We have to guard against becoming lazy in our approach to life and spiritual truth.  Here is a passage
from Proverbs 26:
13 The lazy man says, "There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!"
14 As a door turns on its hinges, So does the lazy man on his bed.
15 The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl; It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can answer sensibly.

We have to make sure that our attitudes are not similar to those of this guy.  He sees the lion, he recognizes the danger, but doesn't do anything about.  He has become complacent and inactive. This can have implications in the physical realm, for sure, but also in our realm of career or occupation, and certainly regarding our spiritual well-being.  We know that prayer and Bible study, spending time with the Lord, are important, but we can become consumed with other things - we have to be cognizant of the opportunities before us that lead to spiritual maturity.

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Please allow me to share some verses from Proverbs about some subject matter that can inhibit our spiritual growth:

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

Proverbs 15:19 ~ The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, But the way of the upright is a highway.

Proverbs 21:25 ~ The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor.

The Daily Mail website calls it "Britain's laziness epidemic."  What a subject for the day after Labor Day!!  After a day when we celebrate the value of work, even by taking a day off, I want to talk about an area that really is the antithesis of quality work - laziness.

Now, this story actually places laziness in the context of lack of exercise.  According to the Daily Mail:

Health bosses say 45 per cent of over-16s are so sedentary they do not manage the health-boosting ten-minute walk.

Public Health England (PHE) officials are especially worried about more than 6 million inactive people aged between 40 and 60 who are putting their busy lives ahead of their health.

A PHE spokesperson is quoted as saying: "'The severity of the current physical inactivity epidemic among adults contributes to one in six deaths in the UK and is costing the NHS over £900million a year."

The story says that:

At present, the NHS recommends people get at least 150 minutes of moderate activity – including gardening, swimming, cycling or brisk walking – or 75 minutes of vigorous activity such as running or playing sports every week.

But officials accept the target may seem too ambitious for many people, and so are focusing instead on persuading people to get out for a moderate walk for ten minutes every day, and build up to the higher target. 

There was also a study cited in a BBC article about the average number of daily steps.  This story cited a Stanford University report, which used data based on users of an app measuring the number of daily steps - the average worldwide was 4,961.  The study was published in the journal, Nature.  The story relates:

The average number of steps in a country appears to be less important for obesity levels, for example.

The key ingredient was "activity inequality" - it's like wealth inequality, except instead of the difference between rich and poor, it's the difference between the fittest and laziest.

The bigger the activity inequality, the higher the rates of obesity.

Tim Althoff, one of the researchers, said: "For instance, Sweden had one of the smallest gaps between activity rich and activity poor... it also had one of the lowest rates of obesity."

The United States and Mexico both have similar average steps, but the US has higher activity inequality and obesity levels.

But, laziness can involve more than physical activity, or the lack thereof.  Consider some of the synonyms from the Thesaurus.com site: inattentive, indifferent, neglectful, and procrastinating. Those are all synonymous with the word, "lazy."

Whoa!  I would say that a spirit of inactivity has the potential to spread into a number of areas of our lives.  Not only do we need to guard against becoming sedentary and inactive physically, but we also have to guard against harmful attitudes and actions in the work that we do.

That includes our jobs.  An indifferent attitude toward the tasks at hand could be considered to be in contradiction to that spiritual principle of doing our work as unto the Lord.  Even in our jobs - our occupation, our education, and even our volunteer activities, we can make it our goal to be the best workers and by so doing, demonstrate the character of Christ.  We can also be cautious not to neglect our assignments or put them off,.

Now, let's think together about spiritual laziness.  Are we neglecting important areas of our lives that will enable us to grow spiritually?  When the time comes to engage in spiritual activity - time with the Lord, it's important that we respond positively.   We can be sensitive to the time management choices we make and be certain that we are praying regularly and fervently, that we are studying God's Word, and that we make time for fellowship with the Lord and His people.  Spiritual laziness is an inhibitor to spiritual growth in Christ.