#1: Sloth Is Bad.

“Sluggard” isn’t a word we use very often these days.  You don’t see it in magazines or hear it on the news, but the idea is still relevant: a sluggard is a lazy person, an habitually lazy person.

Sure, we all have lazy days where not much gets done beyond pajama-wearing and channel surfing.  But for most of us, days that look like this are few and far between.

But what about our hearts?  Our minds?  When I really think about it, I know that when I show up to my weekly Bible study, my brain hasn’t lost its fuzzy slippers yet.  When something really needs to be done, my hands might be busy, but my heart’s hitting the snooze button.

I lead a productive life, but I have a sluggard’s lazy heart.

Maybe that’s not your problem.  Maybe I’m the only one out there who looks like I’ve got it together when sloth is really eating away at my insides.  If I am, then this is a one-woman rant and you can head for the exits.  But if you think you might suffer from a sluggard’s heart, too, please read on.

The consequences, Proverbs-style
There is a string of verses in Proverbs that pits the diligent against the sluggard, showing outcomes for each.  Today, we’ll take a peek at the negatives…


A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. 10:4


He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. 10:5


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


The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor. 12:24


Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth. 12:27


The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. 13:4


Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread. 20:13


The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. 21:5


Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty. 28:19

I will admit, that I wish that my days were filled with pajamas and Netflix and junk food.  Truly, I do!  If I could do just those things (and read some blogs) as a full-time job, I tell myself I would be happy.

But, like all things, those things have consequences seen above, and I'm just not into shame or forced labor...or a whole lot of poverty.

So, that's the easy part: deciding that the sluggard's life is not for me.  Pretty common sense.

Next week we'll dig into more specifics about how too much leisure does no good.

{Full disclosure? I'm off to have some strawberry Danish and watch Netflix.  But I've finished my writing for the day, laundry is started, and the Pookster is down for a nap...so I would call this downtime in moderation. :D}