The Bible says that slothfulness will kill you:
The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.
now, you might not think you’re slothful, and you might be right, but let’s take a look at the definition before we say we aren’t:
SLOTHFUL
ADJECTIVE
Lazy.SYNONYMS
lazy – sluggish – indolent – idle – supine – slack
hmm, that’s a pretty simple definition. How about we take a quick peek at a synonym? Let’s say lazy:
LAZY
ADJECTIVE
- Unwilling to work or use energy: “he was too lazy to cook”.
- Characterized by lack of effort or activity.
SYNONYMS
idle – indolent – sluggish – slothful – slack – shiftless
do you fit into that category? Be honest with yourself, it’s only you that you’re hurting if you’re not honest. If you’re in this category it’s time to turn things around because your desires will kill you. Why? Well, quite simply because the desires of a person who is literally unwilling to work or use energy will produce nothing except one very obvious thing – many different health problems that will then take your life, likely before your time. It’s amazing how our decisions today ultimately impact us years and even decades from that decision.
But, if you’re not in that category, let’s take a look at an antonym of lazy and see if we fit in there, how about busy:
BUSY
ADJECTIVE
Having a great deal to do.VERB
Keep occupied: “she busied herself with her new home”.SYNONYMS
adjective. occupied – engaged – active
verb. occupy
and this is where it gets interesting. There is a massive gap between slothful and busy isn’t there? And this is where most of us fit in. Somewhere in between. But the problem with in between is that nothing is getting done in between. Sure, you may get a task knocked out here and there, but there isn’t really anything getting done in between is there?
The reason is because you war against yourself in between. You are struggling to suit yourself and do nothing, yet get up and do something. You haven’t made a decision yet though, so you’re not taking any action. Action, that word is an antonym to slothful isn’t it? I mean the definition for lazy literally said: “Characterized by lack of effort or activity.” So, by definition, you will not take any action if you are slothful.
I know, it’s really hard to look in the mirror on this post. See, if you haven’t made a decision to be busy and getting things done, you have effectively made a decision to be lazy and get nothing done. So, I guess as we analyze it, you have made a decision, but was it the right one? Should you be up and getting something done right now? Or should you be slothful and getting nothing done? Does NOT being slothful mean you CANNOT have any downtime?
Hmm, that last one is a good one. And I have to say, choosing not to be slothful does not mean you can’t have any downtime. You have to rest sometimes. If you get no rest, you will get even less done, because you are not in a state in which you can make good decisions. This is a fine line. But let me see if we can clear it up. The Bible says this:
And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
and this scripture really brings it home. Though it’s important to be busy and getting things done. You have to be temperate in all things. You can’t always be busy because you’re body is corruptible. It can break down, get tired, wear out, and even collapse if put under enough pressure.
Rather than being busy all the time, find yourself accomplishing a little every single day. Get something done every single day. And ultimately choose not to be slothful when something needs to get done.
So as a focus challenge, consciously decide to be busy today.
