Anyone can have a side to them in their nature, to be slothful and
uncaring about things other than what effect their small world and environment.
As long as they are doing what pleases them, they care not how the rest of the
world is effected by their unconcern and laziness. Laziness stems from one
thing; attitude. To conquer it we must learn to actively make it pursue God’s
will. Some people struggle with too much free time, while others struggle with
no or little to no free time, at all. Those that suffer with too much are those
that Proverbs is talking about in Proverbs 24:30-32, when Solomon spoke these
words, "I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of
the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and
nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken
down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received
instruction." the character of the caretaker represent a spirit of
selfishness, laziness and mismanagement. These folks are happiest when they are
not bothered with anyone or anything, nor are they held accountable to the
point where they must do something. The sad thing about laziness, is that it
robs us of blessings and relationships and affects others in a negative way.
The book of Proverbs paints a contrast between the lazy individual and the
diligent one. The lazy person does not get out and work but rather lies around
the home. He is pictured in Proverbs 6:10 as one who sleeps when he ought to be
working. He is admonished in those verses to learn from the diligent ant. One
example of a diligent person is found in Proverbs 31, “She is a woman that
found balance for her life and was blessed for it.” In Gal. 5:1 we are reminded
to stand fast in our liberty where Christ has made us free, to choose and not
be entangled again to the yoke of bondage. Self-discipline is essential to
walking in obedience. As we practice self-discipline and begin to abide in what
we know, the Spirit of God in us, produces the fruit in us that others will see
and desire as well.
You see, that is really what our jobs are as God’s
Children; to reflect Him to others. Making a practice of examining ourselves
will aid us in becoming better managers of our lives over all. We need to
evaluate ourselves to see what areas that we are lacking in and focus on those
to bring them under our subjection as Paul said he did in I Cor. 9:27. On one
occasion, King Solomon escaped from the forms of court and took a drive through
the countryside unknown. He came upon a site that troubled him. As he looked
over the broken wall of a little estate which belonged to a farmer in his
country he began to ponder what he saw. This estate consisted of a piece of
ploughed land and a vineyard. One glance showed him that it was owned by a
sluggard, who neglected it, for the weeds had grown right plentifully and
covered all the face of the ground. From this Solomon gathered instruction.
Charles Spurgeon said of Solomon’s finding, “To a spiritual mind nettles have
their use, and weeds have their doctrine. Are not all thorns and thistles meant
to be teachers to sinful men? Are they not brought forth of the earth on
purpose that they may show us what sin has done, and the kind of produce that
will come when we sow the seed of rebellion against God?
I was reminded of
these words as I saw a sign on the roadside that says, “If You Litter Shame On
Ya’ll Up To $250 Fine” placed there as a reminder to us all, that we are held
to a higher standard that what we may have for ourselves. Whether by the Holy
Scriptures or by the local officials we cannot just live and do as we want
because our actions effect the lives of other people. It is a reminder that we
are not islands to ourselves. While people who trash the roads, streets,
highways and neighborhoods may care nothing for how it effects anyone else, it
is against the law and shows their lack of self-discipline, laziness and
responsibility, not to mention that they are lawbreakers by cleaning out their
cars as they are driving down the road. They care not that the trash that they
are dumping into a neighborhood attracts rodents, roaches, parasites and
mosquitoes which in turn spreads diseases and causes a shameful and detestable
site to have to look at. Life is full of life-lessons if we would only learn
from them as Proverbs 24:30-32 speaks about. We should be ashamed when we do
not hold ourselves to a higher standard and make better choices in how we live
and teach our children to live by our example. How we treat our roads and
neighborhoods is only one way that we show we care for something other than
ourselves and our respect for the law. How we respect the law shows others, how
we respect the Creator and how we treat His laws as well. Lord, help us not to
shame ourselves or You by being lawbreakers.
Hold Fast,
Bren
