Simblissity: Lazy

photo credit: IronRodArt - Royce Bair ("Star Shooter") via photopin cc

Sometimes I run and I run and I feel all on top of it, but then suddenly I freeze up. Yesterday, I had blog posts outlined for the upcoming two weeks and had the kids on a schedule. Today, I'm on the couch, missing deadlines left and right. I don't seem to have much warning for when the sudden stupidity hits me. I was on a running track and then I look up to see the track still running, with me sitting beside it.

Though I'm sure there are plenty of people living happy, balanced lives, I have noticed a trend in myself and my friends that seems to swing from one extreme to the other: Lazy or Busy.

Most of my adult life, I've watched my friends go, do, and achieve and I feel like a lump. I like to sit and do nothing. I long for things to slow down so I can do NOTHING. I have felt guilty for the lack of initiative.

Many friends have told me that they can't enjoy sitting down to watch a movie because they feel restless. They feel guilty taking a nap because they might be setting a poor example of work ethic. But what if the running is actually a bad example of busy-ness?

Don't get me wrong, I am aware of my own sin. Look up the word "lazy" in your Bible concordance and you'll find no verses praising it. But what if there is a whole world in between lazy and busy and the people living it are feeling guilty for thinking they are one extreme or the other?

Our society praises those who go, go, go to the point that everyone not feeling rushed...feels lazy. 1 Thessalonians 4:11 tells us to live quietly, mind our own business, and work with our hands. We should certainly be productive. But we were created with the capacity to enjoy much pleasure and I am certain God means for us to utilize it.

Tell me, which do you think glorifies God more: to reach our goal and then breathe it in or to reach our goal and jump into the next one? Is the joy of the Lord our strength or do we brag (by complaining) about our busy lives? Do we lean on Him or do we depend on ourselves to get the job done?

Again, I'm not feeling better than anyone else just because my sin is different than someone else's. I fight laziness while they fight busy-ness. I do, however, think that there are plenty of people in the middle who are NOT sinning but who think they are lazy because they are comparing themselves to something that God never intended for us to be.

While beating myself up this past week for my slug-like desires, I asked my son if there was anything he would like to see different in our life as a family. His answer was about me personally. He said that he wants me to slow down and stop. We're running too much. I'm always doing and buzzing and it's stressing him out.

It shocked me because I honestly thought he would say the exact OPPOSITE. I thought he might have some insight into my poor time management skills, such as where I could be more useful and busy. Now, he doesn't know my heart, and I assure you, it's lazy. But his perspective stunned me and got my wheels to turning.

There's a happy, balanced approach to the many things that need done and the many moments that need savoured. Choosing to breathe and do nothing, alone and with family are excellent choices that do not mean you're lazy. It brings glory to God when you enjoy His gifts, when you rest in Him, when you stop and listen.

If you're a lazy sort, like me, I urge you to set goals and lean on God to meet them. If you're a busy sort, I urge you to rest. Just Breathe.

*The posters I've shared in today's article all link to some posts that explore this same topic.