November 19

Nov 19 - Today from Proverbs 19 we look at verse 15
"Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry."

I am always somewhat surprised at the paradoxes of life - even the one's previously encountered. The first thought in today's proverb is one such paradox; "laziness brings on deep sleep". One would think that a lazy person would have pent up energy and become physically restless - but just the opposite is true. I must admit, I have slipped into 'laziness' more than once. Laying in bed on a Saturday morning, nothing pressing, no time commitments . . . I talk myself into staying there and going back to sleep. The longer I lay there, the more I feel like staying there. Finally, I roll out very late in the morning. I dig out something to eat, flop onto the couch and turn on the TV to see what's on. I happen onto a movie that catches my attention and sit there for another hour or two. I haven't even properly dressed yet. My mind starts shutting down. "It's getting too late to begin any projects. Anyway, I deserve a day off." I start flipping through the channels hoping to find something that catches my interest - another movie, a baseball or football game, whatever. Another hour or two goes by as I help myself to any snacks I can find. By now it's late afternoon and I begin to kick myself for wasting an entire day. Am I energized to get out and do something constructive? No. I take a nap! How can I be so dogged and tired when I didn't do anything all day? It's a paradox - and I am surprised all over again that laziness brings on sleepiness. I despise wasted days, and I get very frustrated with myself when I allow one to happen.
It is also strange that I can be pretty worn out by Saturday, and I am very tempted to pamper myself and stay in bed - but I force myself up at a decent hour anyway. If I don't have a plan, I make one - do something constructive on the front end of the day. By the time I complete the task, I am energized and ready to continue. I can have a pretty productive 'day off' and feel good about myself. I was able to get things done that I wanted to get done.
We weren't created to 'do nothing'. Even when our self-serving nature thinks it would be a treat to do nothing, we degenerate when we give in. Laziness breeds apathy. Apathy becomes a bondage of the mind. It is the same with our spirit.
We sometimes feel like it may be nice to take a 'day off' from God. Wouldn't it be great just to forget all the moral responsibilities around us and serve ourselves for once? "I'll get back into my discipleship mode tomorrow again." We don't exactly turn away from God, we're just going to take a break from pursuing Him. "Tomorrow I will be re-energized and will pursue God with zeal." The paradox strikes here too - rather than being re-energized, we find ourselves ensnared in apathy. We 'wake up' one day to discover that it's been awhile since we spent real quality time in a personal devotion. Our prayer-life is anemic. Going to worship on the Lord's Day is an option instead of an anticipation. Those who are in need around us can just fare for themselves. Our monetary support of the ministry of our church wouldn't support a kid's Fun Meal. Our spiritual laziness has put us spiritually asleep.
There is a remedy - it's known as self-control and discipline. When we think it might feel good just to lay in the bed of self-serving desire and take a day off from God, it's time to effect our will over our feelings and climb out anyway. Whether we feel like it or not, we need to implement a plan to do one constructive thing in the course of discipleship. Take out your Bible and commit to a fifteen-minute study in a favorite passage, and then meditate on it for another fifteen. Go to a quiet spot and commit yourself to spend ten minutes in 'praise' prayer, recounting the wonder of God's love for you and what He did to prove that love, and then spend another ten in opening your heart to Him to seek His leading. Look around you and find a need - and then see what you can do in His Name to provide for that need. Soon your spiritual weariness will disappear, and you will find yourself re-energized. It too is a paradox. The solution to spiritual weariness is not a 'break' from discipleship, it is a recommitment to discipleship.
We weren't created to 'do nothing'. We were created to know and enjoy God and to serve our fellow man. It is in the fulfillment of purpose that we find spiritual energy.