It Starts Small

4 A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. a Proverbs 13:4

I am slowly getting used to my new place. I appreciate it is small. Not much cleaning to care to be had. I really appreciate the yard I have. It is a dirty yard with pebble rocks and river rocks thrown about. I had looked at the yard on several occasions and thought about doing a garden. I love gardening.

For a few months now, I have been praying for God to use me in a special way to minister to my family, friends, neighbors, and community. That is our great purpose by Him. There had to be something about me I could share with others. I really have no talent in much of anything. I dabble, but there is not much I enjoy with my whole heart outside of writing, sharing what I’m learning, and gardening.

Not too long ago I was visiting with a friend, and I looked at the, what I thought were trees growing along the backside of the privacy fence. Looking closer, I realized they were not trees but very established and old lilacs! I absolutely LOVE lilacs. There is something about the color purple that always reminds me of Jesus. I was reminded instantly of a verse in Psalms.

104 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Psalms 104:1

That desire to grow a garden was lit in my heart again. I say again because I wanted to weeks prior but looking back, it was being a sluggard.

⁴ The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. Proverbs 13:4

What is a sluggard? The Hebrew word translated here speaks of someone who delays, is lazy, or sluggish. I think of sluggish as a sloth. I think of it as someone who intentionally moves slow out of laziness. I was looking over the deck at all the work that had to be done and making it an excuse not to do it. As I pondered this, God spoke in His quiet still voice the word commitment. Sluggish Commitment. I had come to God that night, after seeing the lilacs and decided to take a step of faith. To give God my hardwork and to ask Him to bless my hands and this vision of a garden to meet others and as a means of ministry to my neighbors and community. I spoke my commitment to it, to others, but when the day came to start working….I began to get disappointed.

The size is not all that big, but in my eyes it looked like 50 acres. I looked at all the rocks that had to be pushed, picked, and glass and trash that had to be lifted. I sat there with a coffee cup in hand and started to wonder if this was a dumb idea. I toiled for a few hours over this until I finally just decided to get in there and get to work. At first it seemed like progress would never come, but as I began to focus back on what God can do with this, vs the actual work, time flew by and before I knew it, the first stage was complete.

Commitments.

In prayer I thought about commitments. If we were honest, we all do this. We get excited and on fire and make commitments to God and others, but once the actual work comes, we pull back and get lazy.

Laziness is death to the commitments we make, But What is laziness?

Laziness

⁶ Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: ⁷ Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, ⁸ Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. ⁹ How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? ¹⁰ Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: ¹¹ So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. Proverbs 6:6-11

This section of scripture elegantly lays out the path of laziness. Laziness is as much of a thief as obsession to work is. There needs to be a balance of rest and work in our lives.

Delaying

In Proverbs 6, the Hebrew word here is specifically geared towards intentionally not doing something. We can ask ourselves a real question: do we intentionally obey and do, or rebel and delay? There are times that we are in a situation that we can only do one task at a time before moving to the next. That is not what is in question here, King Solomon says, are you intentionally delaying doing something for no apparent reason at all?

²⁷ Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. ²⁸ Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. Proverbs 3:27-28

Excuses

¹³ The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets. Proverbs 22:13

Perhaps, there was a lion in the street, but Solomon was talking about those who make really lame and untruthful excuses for not doing something.

Is there something you keep pushing to the back because of a ridiculous excuse?

Loves to Rest

⁴ The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. Proverbs 20:4

We are hardwired by our Heavenly Father to need others. We were given responsibility by Him for others and sometimes, the idea of rest and entertainment causes us to get away from the responsibilities he has given us. A sluggard refuses to care for the things God has given him responsibility to take care of. Instead, sleep has cocooned him into a web of choices, that God’s Word said will ruin him.

When our “me time” and hobbies start to deprive our responsibilities, we hurt those around us. It hurts the people God put under our care because the need for “rest” is put over their need to be taken care of and puts the responsibility of it on the back burner. We are to be diligent in taking care of the vineyard God has given and blessed us with.

Destructive Behavior

²⁵ The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour. ²⁶ He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not. ²⁷ The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind? Proverbs 21:25-27

Laziness is a trap. While you can wrap your mind around the idea that you are just seeking rest, it actually holds individuals captive to self destructive behaviors. God’s Word describes laziness as a hedge of thorns. It prevents a person from moving forward on their path. It holds them captive to their own greedy desire.

¹⁶ The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. Proverbs 26:16

Laziness blinds us. Laziness fostered through the heart blinds a person from truth and wisdom. Laziness is an attitude that makes us poor. Not just physically poor, but poor in our mental health and spiritual hearts. Laziness makes a person crave without the ability to be satisfied, creates a hedge that blocks the road, and turns a person into a ehart of pride and arrogance in believing they know everything. Laziness is one of the attitudes that cracks the door open to invite other sinful attitudes to take up residence.

Repulsive to Others

²⁶ As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him. Proverbs 10:26

I think an even better description is nails on a chalkboard. We can all share instances were the laziness of others has the effect on the people around them. It is irritating and repulsive. We sometimes trap ourselves into thinking sin is black and white while missing the mark by not realizing how our own variety of character traits, thought patterns, and emotional responses miss the target.

Laziness is a choice. It is a slippery slope that gets us stuck in ruts, pits of quicksand and damages our relationships around us. When we make commitments and do not follow through with them, it causes us to lose the trust and confidence of others. It damages our integrity.

How do we get out of the rut or pit?

Recognize where we are at and the things we are intently putting on the back burner. Confess this and turn away from it. Ask for forgiveness and confess ourselves to one another that those around us can help us by keeping us accountable to our responsibilities. Renew yourself, through prayer, by asking God for His cleansing of laziness and recommit yourself to your responsibilities.

Spend time in the book of Proverbs! Solomon goes into great detail about laziness and how it ruins people. He also write about the complete opposite of laziness and the rewards and blessings of staying committed to our responsibilities.