Proverbs 13:4- The
soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is
richly supplied
So when I was thinking about what to write about today, I
had a flash back to about a year ago.
While working at a different job, I had two employees tell me that they
deserved my full time status more than I did.
At that moment, my mouth was on the floor! I was stunned. This statement would have made sense if they
worked as hard as me, but most of the time those workers would show up to work
and expect a paycheck simply for punching in and having a pulse. Here in lies the problem with society
today: we are breeding entitled sloths.
The main point of me writing today is not to condemn people
for their actions, but to bring awareness because if we do not get this under
control, our society could very much end up collapsing due to laziness. Bold statement? Look at one of the main reasons that many empires fall: pleasure seeking.
Also, I believe that as Christians we are called to work
hard and to set an example. So instead
of demanding that society lowers their standard to glorify mediocrity, I hope that we
would rise to the challenges of life.
Almost everything that is good in life requires effort and
is earned, whether it is a job, a marriage, an education, an inheritance, you
name it, those things require hard work, maintenance, and a lot of
respect/gratitude. One of the most
dangerous things is when people are simply handed something without having to
work for it because many times they do not respect the amount of work that was
put into what they are receiving, and often times that “gift” is squandered or
abused.
So are sloths lazy all of the time? NO!
Here are some examples of sloth behavior:
-They are usually prompt, attentive, and diligent when they are doing
something that is comforting
-When the word “free” is involved, they move faster than the
average sloth... which can be mind blowing knowing their normal speed!
-They definitely want to get their paycheck (usually they are quite prompt and annoying about it), but usually do not do the work to warrant that pay check
-They become aggressive or manipulative when you threaten to
take away what want
-They’d rather complain than fix something, or ignore an
issue because it is too “uncomfortable”
So where does this come from?
Obsession with Pleasure/Comfort: If they get what they want without
consequence, they will continue to be lazy.
If you threaten to take away the comfort, you might get an angry sloth
because you are actually requiring them to work… imagine that!
My response: Does God
care about our comfort? Yes, to an
extent. The truth is that our growth
occurs when we are challenged, and he is more concerned about our character
than our comfort. Also, if he is just
responsible for making us comfortable, then what have we reduced God to? Food for thought.
Entitlement: One
phrase that I desperately want removed from the English language is “I
deserve”… because my usual answer is, “no, you don’t.” Those two words can get us into a whole world
of trouble. Whether it is the created
expectations, the excuse for our poor behavior, or acting like a spoiled child,
entitlement only hurts in the long run.
My response: Give
thanks and respect that which has been given to us. I could complain about my
misfortunes (if you know me you know what I am talking about) and say, “I
DESERVE THAT BECAUSE OF _______!” or I can work through my pain and continue to
look for opportunities. I realize that
God has been shaping my character through the odd jobs, medical problems, and
challenging life situations.
Addictions
studies and my interactions with people who
struggle with addictions generally struggle with slothfulness (note: take away an
addicts comfort: you find an angry sloth).
So here are a few group
of people that I have noticed:
-Most people that I have met that smoke weed generally have
no motor and expect things to be handed to them.
-Most people that spend too much time playing computer games
have a low motor and usually substitute human interaction with online activities.
-Most people I know that have porn addictions substitute that
for human interactions since it requires less maintenance and interaction than
a human relationship.
-People with shopping addictions and hording problems tend to
use it to fill voids in their life that people and God are supposed to fill.
My response: Remember
where those things belong. You are a
powerful person that can exert power over those things. God gave us a spirit of power and self
control (2 Tim 1:7), remember that and don’t let those things control your
life. I have found that addictions not
only damage ourselves (though most deny that fact), but also our relationship
with others and with God (also frequently denied).
Low Self-Esteem: Why
try if you are going to fail? That’s
what low self-esteem reiterates. When
somebody does not feel capable of succeeding, they use unhealthy means to
evaluate their success. In unhealthy
relationships, instead of raising their standard, sloths will usually try to
manipulate or abuse their partner to get them to lower their standard.
My response: No one
wants to feel like they are settling in a relationship. Therefore, if you ever want a healthy
relationship, slothful qualities such as victim mentality, manipulation, and
protecting your comfort will not promote that.
Even though people say opposites attract, its true that birds of a
feather flock together. Therefore,
healthy people find other healthy people.
If we are fearfully and wonderfully made, then we must continue to
develop and take pride in that!
-I need to stop and think about how my inaction is hurting and disappointing people around me as well as myself
-I need to take ownership of lost time and opportunities and be concerted about embracing new opportunities
-Realize that I am not getting any younger, and that I am missing out on valuable friendships, relationships, jobs, ministries, etc.
-Make a bold step, create minor successes so that I can experience success because success is just as addictive as slothfulness, but it is much healthier and rewarding
-Start setting bigger goals once the minor ones are achieved because life without goals becomes stagnant and depressing
So these are just a few suggestions that I have found that really work. You might need this or you might need some insight to help a friend or family member... but know that an inactive life is a life not lived. God calls us to be engaged and use our gifts, so I hope that you do just that and that you be diligent so that you can live a full and fulfilled life.
